A bipartisan bill led by U.S. Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) that’s supported by utility organizations representing electric cooperatives and public power providers across Pennsylvania and the country would reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity (RMUC) Grant and Technical Assistance Program.
The U.S. Department of Energy program provides rural electric cooperatives and publicly owned utilities with the resources, technical assistance, and support they need to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyberattacks.
“America’s electric grid is a critical piece of our national security, and every utility — regardless of size or location — must have the resources to defend against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats,” McCormick said Friday. “Rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities serve millions of Americans, including communities across Pennsylvania, but often operate with fewer cybersecurity resources than larger utilities.
“This bipartisan legislation will help ensure they have the support they need to protect our energy infrastructure and keep the lights on,” the lawmaker added.
McCormick on Aug. 7 sponsored the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, S, 5360, alongside original cosponsors U.S. Sens. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Hoeven (R-ND), John Curtis (R-UT), and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) to help eligible utilities improve cybersecurity preparedness through grants, technical assistance, and workforce development.
If enacted, S. 5360 would reauthorize the RMUC Grant and Technical Assistance Program at $250 million through 2031, and continue providing grants and technical assistance to rural electric cooperatives and municipally owned utilities to bolster cybersecurity capabilities.
Additionally, the measure would support cybersecurity planning, workforce development, vulnerability assessments, and other activities that improve the resilience of the electric grid, while improving partnerships between the federal government and locally owned utilities to protect America’s critical energy infrastructure.
“Cyber threats don’t distinguish between a large investor-owned utility and an electric cooperative serving rural communities, but the resources to defend against them are far from equal,” said Steve Brame, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and Allegheny Electric Cooperative.
“Pennsylvania’s electric cooperatives thank Sen. Dave McCormick for introducing the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act,” Brame added. “By reauthorizing this program, Sen. McCormick is making sure the cooperatives that keep the lights on across rural Pennsylvania have the tools and the federal partnership they need to protect the grid our members and our country depend on.”
Cyberattacks targeting America’s energy infrastructure have become more frequent and more sophisticated in recent years, according to the lawmakers, who said that rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities often face unique resource constraints that make federal cybersecurity assistance especially valuable.
“Pennsylvania’s municipal electric utilities are on the front lines of protecting our communities’ power supply — and cybersecurity threats don’t distinguish between large investor-owned utilities and the small, locally-owned systems that serve our boroughs,” said Jeffrey Stonehill, president of the Pennsylvania Municipal Electric Association (PMEA).
“PMEA supports Sen. McCormick’s proposal and urges Congress to advance this bipartisan legislation,” Stonehill said. “Alongside our national partner, the American Public Power Association, we believe that securing our grid starts at the local level — and that no utility should face these evolving threats alone or without resources.”
In addition to the Pennsylvania Rural Electric Association and the PMEA, the legislation is supported by the American Public Power Association, and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.