(Washington, DC) – Today, Chairwoman Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) and Ranking Member Frank Lucas (R-OK) sent a letter to Department of Energy Secretary Granholm to request a briefing on the Colonial Pipeline Company ransomware attack. The cyberattack on the company prompted a temporary shutdown of 5,500 miles of pipeline.
“The Committee on Science, Space, and Technology has broad authority over “all energy research, development, and demonstration” along with the “commercial application of energy technologies” under House Rule X.,” said Chairwoman Johnson and Ranking Member Lucas in the letter. “The Committee must fulfill its responsibility to ensure our federal cybersecurity and physical security programs and research efforts are focused on combating the most serious threats to our energy supply. We request your assistance to better understand DOE’s role in protecting our energy sector from cyberattacks, how DOE includes pipelines in its cybersecurity agenda, and the research and development initiatives that are critical to this work. We ask that your office facilitate a briefing for Committee staff on the concerns described above, including an update on this attack and DOE’s response, as well as DOE’s current and planned engagement with federal and nonfederal entities to address cybersecurity threats, vulnerabilities, and research challenges.”
A copy of the full letter can be found here.