Amid growing concern over the vulnerability of the U.S. electric grid to cyberattacks, two lawmakers are preparing to introduce new legislation aimed at bolstering the industry’s responsiveness to such threats.The Critical Electric Infrastructure Protection Act is scheduled to be introduced on Thursday by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn), chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security.
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http://www.networkworld.com/news/2009/042909-new-cybersecurity-bill-for-electric.htmlUS Lawmakers Seek to Tighten Cyber Regulation on Power Grids
Key lawmakers in the House and Senate are seeking to grant federal regulators new powers to protect the U.S. power grid in the face of an imminent or actual cyber attack on the nation’s electric infrastructure.The proposal would grant the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) authority to require companies that own and operate critical portions of the power grid to take emergency actions to mitigate a specific cyber threat against power generation equipment or the communications networks that support those systems. With the exception of publicly owned utilities, industry compliance with warnings or advisories issued by FERC currently is voluntary.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/29/AR2009042902953.htmlus: Bill would toughen security requirements over current law
A bill introduced in the Senate on Tuesday would strengthen the requirements in a much maligned security law, asking agencies to actively monitor and fix security holes in computer systems and requiring the White House to provide tougher enforcement.The bill, the 2009 U.S. Information and Communications Enhancement Act, also would require the Commerce Department to establish standards for securing all government information systems, including those used by the Defense Department and intelligence agencies to support national security.
http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20090428_5942.phpAfter cybersecurity review, Hathaway says White House should take lead
The federal official who led a 60-day review of the U.S. government’s cybersecurity programs for President Barack Obama last week called for the White House to play a more direct role in coordinating national information security efforts.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=338289Senator questions wisdom of White House control over cybersecurity
The ranking member of the U.S. Senate’s Homeland Security Committee, Susan Collins (R-Maine), today raised questions about recent calls for a direct White House role in coordinating national cybersecurity affairs.At a hearing this morning on strategies for securing cyberspace, Collins said that putting the White House in charge would make it harder for Congress to exercise needed oversight over critical cyber policies and budgets.
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