Matsui's Secure GRID ACT Passes OUT of Energy & Commerce Committee

Background on the SECURE Grid Act: States must submit a State Energy Security Plan (SESP) annually to receive funds from the State Energy Program. State Energy Offices use these funds to implement energy security and resiliency plans, invest in domestic energy resources, reduce energy waste, pilot innovative energy projects, and more. A state's SESP allows it to recognize, respond to, and mitigate weaknesses in its energy infrastructure. While SESPs are currently required to consider broad vulnerabilities, including physical and cyber-attacks, the SECURE Grid Act adds necessary detailed data to these reports, requiring states to consider: threats posed to local distribution facilities and supporting grid infrastructure, like distribution substations; the risks posed by increasing grid demand; available technologies to mitigate threats to energy distribution and rising grid demand; the distinctions between weather-related threats and threats from a physical act of violence; the utility of public-private partnerships in meeting energy security needs; the availability of innovative financing models that may save taxpayer dollars and increase access to digital grid technology; and the role of vendors in maintaining a secure, reliable, and resilient energy distribution system.