Press Releases

WASHINGTON – Today, by a unanimous voice vote, the United States House of Representatives passed H.R. 3277, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act sponsored by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) and Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.). With cyber threats to our critical infrastructure having escalated in recent years, this bipartisan bill would require the Secretary of Energy (DOE) to assign energy emergency and energy security functions, including those concerning infrastructure and cybersecurity, to an Assistant Secretary. This bill passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee 48-0 in May of 2023 and now goes to the Senate where it awaits passage.

“Ensuring that we are prepared to face emerging cyber-attacks has never been more important for the health and safety of our economy and our country. That’s why it’s vital that we have a dedicated leader to oversee a coordinated response,” said Rep. Blunt Rochester. “The Energy Emergency Leadership Act is a bipartisan way of helping us do just that while protecting our critical energy infrastructure and strengthening our national security. I want to thank Rep. Walberg and my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for their work in helping us get this bill to the floor for passage.”

“Physical attacks on the U.S. power grid rose by 71% in 2022, compared to the year before,” said Rep. Walberg. “This uptick in attacks on our critical energy infrastructure is deeply concerning and demonstrates the need for more action from the federal government. This bipartisan legislation will strengthen our cybersecurity and emergency response capabilities in the energy sector to effectively prevent and respond to outside threats. I am proud to see the House’s overwhelming support of this legislation which will better protect our grid and other essential energy infrastructure.”

The Energy Emergency Leadership Act would:

• Amends the Department of Energy Organization Act to elevate the leadership of DOE’s emergency response and cybersecurity functions to the Senate-confirmed assistant secretary level.
• Directs this assistant secretary position to work in collaboration with other federal agencies on matters related to energy security and emergencies.

A one-pager on the bill can be found here.

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