Frank Pallone: “If the gentleman continues to yield, yes, Chairman Thompson, it is correct, and I thank my friend, the chairman of the…”

“If the gentleman continues to yield, yes, Chairman Thompson, it is correct, and I thank my friend, the chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, for that question and the opportunity to further clarify what these bills do and do not do. These bills completely confine themselves to codifying or further specifying authorities and obligations the Secretary of Energy already has as the sector-specific agency for electricity under the FAST Act, the Federal Power Act, and the Department of Energy Organization Act. So let me make this clear: Nothing in these bills is intended to infringe, curtail, or otherwise affect the authorities of the Department of Homeland Security as they exist at this moment. And I will go even further to say that nothing in these bills actually affects, in any way, shape, or form, the existing authorities or prerogatives of the Department of Homeland Security or its Secretary in any area. Any interpretation to the contrary is simply incorrect.”