WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, pressed Mark Christie and Allison Clements, nominees to serve on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), on the security of natural gas pipelines, especially in the New England region. During Senator King’s questioning at an Energy and Natural Resources hearing, he underscored the importance of pipeline security in the New England region, and emphasized that any security disruption could be catastrophic to public safety. 

“I’m very concerned with the cybersecurity of the gas pipeline system I’m concerned about the grid generally – I don’t think we are as secure as we think we are – particularly the gas pipeline system. FERC has a role of regulating pipelines, allowing pipelines, permitting pipelines, but the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has the responsibility of the security, the cybersecurity for the pipelines,” said Senator King in the hearing, stressing the importance of collaboration and accountability between FERC, TSA, and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

“In New England the gas pipeline system is a de facto part of the electric grid… none of [the gas] comes from the region, all of which comes from pipeline. So if there is a failure, if there is a cyberattack on the pipeline system, the grid will go down just as if there were an attack on a SCADA system in an operating plant or the independent systems operator (ISO).”

Senator King is a leader in urging the United States to strengthen the security of energy infrastructure – in August, he pushed top officials in charge of cybersecurity and energy systems in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), FERC, and private sector companies on the importance of regularly red teaming and penetration testing (pentesting) their own infrastructure to identify cybervulnerabilities and bolster their defenses. Last December, his Securing Energy Infrastructure Act, bipartisan legislation also cosponsored by Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), was enacted into law. The legislation passed as part of the FY2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), and will develop defenses for the U.S. energy grid through partnerships between the National Laboratories and industry. The partnerships will utilize engineering concepts to remove vulnerabilities that could allow hackers to access the grid and the nation’s critical infrastructure. In recent months, Senator King has joined members of Commission the detail CSC’s recommendations before the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, the House of Representatives Committee on Armed Services, the House of Representatives Committee on Homeland Security, and the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs.