The House will vote on bipartisan legislation this week that would create a new Senate-confirmed position within the Department of Energy to manage threats to the electric grid.
The “Energy Emergency Leadership Act,” H.R. 3277, from Reps. Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) and Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), passed the House Energy and Commerce Committee last May on a 30-0 vote.
It would require DOE to establish a new assistant secretary position focused on preparing for and responding to energy emergencies such as physical and cyberattacks on grid infrastructure.
“We will need a dedicated person to turn to with respect to infrastructure, cybersecurity, emergency planning and emerging threats,” Walberg, vice chair of the Subcommittee on Innovation, Data and Commerce, said during the markup last year.
