WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st December, 2021) US Congressman Bobby Rush is pushing for a new federal agency that would set both physical and cybersecurity reliability standards for pipelines, The Hill reported.
"According to a draft of forthcoming legislation that was first shared with The Hill, Rush wants to create a reliability organization that's run through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)," the report said on Tuesday.
This reliability organization would be stakeholder-driven, according to Rush's office, meaning it would be largely made up of industry officials.
The standards, however, would have to be approved by FERC - an independent agency that regulates interstate energy transmission. Currently, the commission is comprised of three Democratic commissioners and two Republicans.
The vulnerability of US pipelines was illustrated by a ransomware attack in May that forced the temporary closure of a Colonial Pipeline, which carries gasoline, diesel and jet fuel from the state Texas to much of the Eastern United States.
The pipeline reopened when operators paid the hackers about $4.4 million.
