Randy Weber: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also thank Representative Bera for introducing this bill with me. I am proud to…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. I also thank Representative Bera for introducing this bill with me. I am proud to rise in support of H.R. 5760. Mr. Speaker, cyber and physical threats to our electric grid are constantly evolving in technique and increasing in number. This challenge is magnified by its complexity. No two attacks are exactly the same. Last year in the United States, the energy sector ranked ninth in industries most targeted by cyberattacks. In fact, IBM estimated that cyberattacks against vital energy sector technologies, like industrial control and operational systems, increased by more than 2,000 percent-- 2,000 percent. Mr. Speaker, it is clear that we must be prepared to address this threat as we continue to build on the success of our clean energy future and long-term international competitiveness. Every single aspect of our daily lives in each economic sector in our Nation is dependent on the uninterrupted flow of power. I like to say that the things that make America great are the things that America makes. How do we do that? With an uninterrupted, affordable flow of power. Therefore, we must focus heavily on early-stage research into new technologies that will improve the resilience, the reliability, and the emergency response capabilities of our electric grid. H.R. 5760 does that by authorizing a multi-agency research and development program to bolster the cyber and physical security capabilities of the energy sector.…”