South Michigan News: House passes Energy Emergency Leadership Act to address energy security functions

The House passed the Energy Emergency Leadership Act on June 30, introduced by Representatives Tim Walberg, Laurel Lee, and Greg Landsman. The bipartisan legislation would amend the Department of Energy Organization Act to require the Secretary of the Department of Energy to assign energy emergency and energy security functions to an Assistant Secretary. These responsibilities would include infrastructure, cybersecurity, supply, and emergency planning.

"Our energy infrastructure powers industries, drives innovation, and sustains daily life for hundreds of millions of Americans," said Representative Tim Walberg. "With an increase in attacks on our critical energy infrastructure, strengthening our cyber defense and emergency response capabilities in the energy sector has never been more important. I am proud to see the House pass this bipartisan legislation to increase coordination within the Department of Energy to make our grid more resilient and ensure Americans have access to reliable, affordable energy."

The Department of Energy's emergency functions have historically focused on oil supply shocks but are not clearly identified as core functions within the department. This lack of clarity can create challenges for leadership and coordination on issues such as cybersecurity threats affecting critical infrastructure.

According to a press release from Representative Walberg's office, this legislation aims to elevate energy emergency and cybersecurity responsibilities as a core function for the Department of Energy in order to better protect vital systems like the power grid and other critical infrastructure components, according to Representative Tim Walberg's office.