Infrastructure and cybersecurity are key to America’s safety | Opinion

Pennsylvania has been at the vanguard of the energy revolution that made America the world’s top producer of natural gas — and today provides 19.5% of our nation’s natural gas output. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh’s private sector transformed “The Steel City” into an innovation hub with advancements in high-tech industries such as medicine, education, and engineering software.

As we look ahead to the future, the Department of Energy (DOE) has focused its attention not only on supporting critical infrastructure that relies on the sorts of tech advancements made in Pennsylvania, but on defending that technology from our competitors and adversaries, such as China, Russia, and Iran, who may seek to conduct cyberoperations against our nation and disrupt our way of life.

On May 1, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will secure our bulk power systems (BPS) from malicious attacks. BPS are critical infrastructure and materials that facilitate the transmission and delivery of power throughout the country. The executive order authorizes my team at DOE to work with other federal departments and private industry to secure America’s BPS by eliminating vulnerabilities within the existing system and developing policies to keep it safe for years to come.

Such a threat is outlined in the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment report issued by the United States intelligence community. The report lists China, Russia, and Iran as having the ability to execute cyberattacks against America’s critical infrastructure, including the energy sector and the BPS.

These nations have already developed the capability to target critical infrastructure like bulk power system components. Examples of BPS components are power substations that transmit electricity to the distribution system before they reach your home or the automated industrial control systems that are used in water treatment facilities and manufacturing operations. If a cyberattack were to happen, compromised BPS components could cause extensive damage and a long-term disruption for the entire country.

We must be ever-vigilant and secure our BPS from malicious attacks.

The first important action we will take under this executive order is to prohibit future use of BPS equipment from any country or individual deemed a foreign adversary by our national security experts, the failure of which would pose a risk to our national security and the safety of Americans. The order also requires us to identify and develop recommendations to remediate equipment on the BPS that poses a threat.

These critical systems require secure supply chains, whether the products originate from American companies or allies and trusted partners. Absent a secure supply chain, international adversaries could intentionally provide faulty equipment and parts or, more likely, use their knowledge to carry out a targeted attack.

Next, the order calls for the Department of Energy to establish criteria for recognizing specific equipment and vendors as prequalified to provide parts used in critical systems. This will ensure a fair bidding process and provide increased business opportunities, incentivizing American manufacturers to produce BPS parts and equipment.

Finally, through the executive order, President Trump created a task force, which I will lead, to review and develop federal energy infrastructure procurement policies. This task force is critical to ensure that the foundation of these policies is our national security, rather than short-sighted economic factors.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us, we live in an uncertain world. Things will happen beyond our control, and we accept that. But we must take necessary steps to protect against threats we know are out there. Securing our bulk power systems from threats will keep Pennsylvanians, and all Americans, safe.

Dan Brouillette is the United States secretary of Energy.