S. 174Senate116th Congress (2019-2021)In Committee

Securing Energy Infrastructure Act

Introduced January 17, 2019

AI-Generated Summary

Updated April 14, 2026 at 12:43 AM UTC

The Securing Energy Infrastructure Act creates a two‑year pilot program, run by the Department of Energy, that works with critical energy‑sector owners and operators to discover and address cyber security weaknesses in their industrial control systems. A multi‑agency working group will evaluate the technologies used and develop a national strategy for protecting these systems. The bill requires interim and final reports to Congress, keeps shared information confidential, shields participants from lawsuits, and provides $11.5 million in funding.

Key Provisions

  • The Secretary of Energy must launch a 2‑year pilot program within 180 days, partnering voluntarily with "covered entities" (critical energy infrastructure identified under Executive Order 13636) to find new security vulnerabilities and test ways to isolate and defend industrial control systems.
  • A working group of at least 10 members from federal agencies, industry, academia, and national labs will evaluate the program’s technology and develop a national cyber‑informed engineering strategy.
  • The Secretary must submit an interim report within 180 days of the first funding and a final report within two years, detailing results, feasibility analyses, and the working group’s evaluations.
  • Information shared under the program is exempt from public‑record laws and will be kept confidential.
  • Covered entities participating voluntarily are protected from civil liability for those activities, and they are not required to participate.
  • The bill does not grant any new regulatory authority to federal agencies.
  • Appropriations: $10 million for the pilot program and $1.5 million for the working group and reporting.

Legislative Activity

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4 earlier actions
SenateCalendars Latest Action

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 173.

August 16, 2019

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

January 17, 2019

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources.

January 17, 2019

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Ordered to be reported with an amendment favorably.

July 16, 2019

SenateCommittee

Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Reported by Senator Murkowski under authority of the order of the Senate of 08/01/2019 with an amendment. With written report No. 116-71.

August 16, 2019

SenateCalendars

Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 173.

August 16, 2019

Bill Text

2 versions available

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Latest
Reported to SenateIssued August 16, 2019

II

Calendar No. 173

116th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 174

[Report No. 116–71]

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

January 17, 2019

Mr. King (for himself, Mr. Risch, Mr. Heinrich, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Crapo) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources

August 16, 2019

Reported under authority of the order of the Senate of August 1, 2019, by Ms. Murkowski, with an amendment

Omit the part struck through and insert the part printed in italic

A BILL

To provide for the establishment of a pilot program to identify security vulnerabilities of certain entities in the energy sector.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Securing Energy Infrastructure Act.

2.

Definitions

In this Act:

(1)

Appropriate committee of Congress

The term appropriate committee of Congress means—

(A)

the Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, and the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the Senate; and

(B)

the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, the Committee on Homeland Security, and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives.

(2)

Covered entity

The term covered entity means an entity identified pursuant to section 9(a) owner or operator described in section 9(c) of Executive Order 13636 of February 12, 2013 (78 Fed. Reg. 11742), relating to identification of critical infrastructure where a cybersecurity incident could reasonably result in catastrophic regional or national effects on public health or safety, economic security, or national security.

(3)

Exploit

The term exploit means a software tool designed to take advantage of a security vulnerability.

(4)

Industrial control system

(A)

In general

The term industrial control system means an operational technology used to measure, control, or manage industrial functions.

(B)

Inclusions

The term industrial control system includes supervisory control and data acquisition systems, distributed control systems, and programmable logic or embedded controllers.

(5)

National Laboratory

The term National Laboratory has the meaning given the term in section 2 of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (42 U.S.C. 15801).

(6)

Program

The term Program means the pilot program established under section 3.

(7)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of Energy.

(8)

Security vulnerability

The term security vulnerability means any attribute of hardware, software, process, or procedure that could enable or facilitate the defeat of a security control.

3.

Pilot program for securing energy infrastructure

Not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall establish a 2-year control systems implementation pilot program within the National Laboratories for the purposes of—

(1)

partnering with covered entities in the energy sector (including critical component manufacturers in the supply chain) that voluntarily participate in the Program to identify new classes of security vulnerabilities of the covered entities; and

(2)

evaluating technology and standards, in partnership with covered entities, to isolate and defend industrial control systems of covered entities from security vulnerabilities and exploits in the most critical systems of the covered entities, including—

(A)

analog and nondigital control systems;

(B)

purpose-built control systems; and

(C)

physical controls.

4.

Working group to evaluate program standards and develop strategy

(a)

Establishment

The Secretary shall establish a working group—

(1)

to evaluate the technology and standards used in the Program under section 3(2); and

(2)

to develop a national cyber-informed engineering strategy to isolate and defend covered entities from security vulnerabilities and exploits in the most critical systems of the covered entities.

(b)

Membership

The working group established under subsection (a) shall be composed of not fewer than 10 members, to be appointed by the Secretary, at least 1 member of which shall represent each of the following:

(1)

The Department of Energy.

(2)

The energy industry, including electric utilities and manufacturers recommended by the Energy Sector coordinating councils.

(3)
(A)

The Department of Homeland Security; or

(B)

the Industrial Control Systems Cyber Emergency Response Team.

(4)

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation.

(5)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

(6)
(A)

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence; or

(B)

the intelligence community (as defined in section 3 of the National Security Act of 1947 (50 U.S.C. 3003)).

(7)
(A)

The Department of Defense; or

(B)

the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Homeland Security and America's Security Affairs.

(8)

A State or regional energy agency.

(9)

A national research body or academic institution.

(10)

The National Laboratories.

5.

Reports on the Program

(a)

Interim report

Not later than 180 days after the date on which funds are first disbursed under the Program, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress an interim report that—

(1)

describes the results of the Program;

(2)

includes an analysis of the feasibility of each method studied under the Program; and

(3)

describes the results of the evaluations conducted by the working group established under section 4(a).

(b)

Final report

Not later than 2 years after the date on which funds are first disbursed under the Program, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a final report that—

(1)

describes the results of the Program;

(2)

includes an analysis of the feasibility of each method studied under the Program; and

(3)

describes the results of the evaluations conducted by the working group established under section 4(a).

6.

Exemption from disclosure

Information shared by or with the Federal Government or a State, Tribal, or local government under this Act shall be—

(1)

deemed to be voluntarily shared information;

(2)

exempt from disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States Code, or any provision of any State, Tribal, or local freedom of information law, open government law, open meetings law, open records law, sunshine law, or similar law requiring the disclosure of information or records; and

(3)

withheld from the public, without discretion, under section 552(b)(3) of title 5, United States Code, or any provision of a State, Tribal, or local law requiring the disclosure of information or records.

7.

Protection from liability

(a)

In general

A cause of action against a covered entity for engaging in the voluntary activities authorized under section 3—

(1)

shall not lie or be maintained in any court; and

(2)

shall be promptly dismissed by the applicable court.

(b)

Voluntary activities

Nothing in this Act subjects any covered entity to liability for not engaging in the voluntary activities authorized under section 3.

8.

No new regulatory authority for Federal agencies

Nothing in this Act authorizes the Secretary or the head of any other department or agency of the Federal Government to issue new regulations.

9.

Authorization of appropriations

(a)

Pilot Program

There is authorized to be appropriated $10,000,000 to carry out section 3.

(b)

Working Group and Report

There is authorized to be appropriated $1,500,000 to carry out sections 4 and 5.

(c)

Availability

Amounts made available under subsections (a) and (b) shall remain available until expended.

August 16, 2019

Reported with an amendment