WASHINGTON, Sept. 19 -- The Senate Commerce, Science & Transportation Committee issued the following news release:

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV today wrote to the Chief Executive Officers of Fortune 500 companies, challenging them to play a leading role in reforming cyber security laws and to distinguish their solutions-oriented cybersecurity leadership from the obstructionist politics of beltway lobbying organizations such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In a series of letters to the CEOs of America's 500 largest businesses, Rockefeller noted that Congress came close to approving new cyber protections this summer--in response to the urgent requests of the Commanding General of Cyber Command and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=cf3deb85-e2c4-4ccd-bab8-b9374202f982

Last month, Rockefeller urged President Obama to issue an executive order after the legislation was blocked. President Obama's chief counterterrorism advisor recently wrote Rockefeller to convey the President's determination to use all existing executive authorities to protect the nation from cyber attacks. Rockefeller commended the White House's decision and shared the Administration's belief that even with an executive order, there will remain a need for legislation to fully address American cyber threat readiness.

The Cybersecurity Act of 2012 would provide incentives for critical infrastructure companies that adopt voluntary standards to protect themselves from cyber threats. The goal is to protect critical infrastructure like power plants, utilities, pipelines, transportation and telecommunications networks, hospitals and other systems that American people and businesses rely on for the essentials of daily life.

Read the letter here.http://commerce.senate.gov/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=396eb5d5-23a4-4488-a67c-d45f62bbf9e5 Rockefeller sent the letter to the following companies:

Exxon MobilWal-Mart Stores Chevron

ConocoPhilips General MotorsGeneral Electric

Berkshire HathawayFannie MaeFord Motor

Hewlett-PackardAT&TValero Energy

Bank of America Corp.Verizon CommunicationsJ.P. Morgan Chase & Co.

Apple CVS CaremarkInternational Business Machines

CitigroupCardinal HealthUnitedHealth Group

KrogerCostco WholesaleFreddie Mac

Wells Fargo Procter & Gamble Archer Daniels Midland

AmerisourceBergenINTL FCStoneMarathon Petroleum

WalgreenAmerican International GroupMetLife

Home DepotMedco Health SolutionsMicrosoft

Target Boeing Pfizer

PepsiCoJohnson & JohnsonState Farm Insurance Cos.

Dell WellPoint Caterpillar

Dow ChemicalUnited Technologies Comcast

Kraft FoodsIntelUnited Parcel Service

Best BuyLowe'sPrudential Financial

Amazon.com Merck Lockheed Martin

Coca-Cola Express Scripts HoldingSunoco

Enterprise Products PartnersSafewayCisco Systems

Sears Holdings Walt Disney Morgan Stanley

SyscoFedExAbbot Laboratories

DuPontGoogle Hess

SupervaluUnited Continental HoldingsHonewell International

CHS HumanaGoldman Sachs Group

Ingram MicroOracleDelta Air Lines

Liberty Mutual Insurance GroupWorld Fuel ServicesNew York Life Insurance

Plains All American PipelineTIAA-CREF Aetna

Sprint NextelNews Corp.General Dynamics

AllstateHCA HoldingsAmerican Express

Tyson Foods Deere Murphy Oil

Phillip Morris International Nationwide Tesoro

3MTime WarnerNorthrop Grumman

DirecTVPublix Super MarketsMcDonald's

AvnetTech DataMacy's

International PaperTravelers Cos. Rite Aid

StaplesAlcoa Northwestern Mutual

RaytheonHalliburtonEli Lilly

Emerson Electric Massachussetts Mutual Life Insurance Occidental Petroleum

AMR Fluor TJX

Goodyear Tire & RubberXeroxAflac

Manpower CignaHartford Financial Services Group

U.S. BancorpArrow ElectronicsBristol-Myers Squibb

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & GoldNike Kimberly-Clark

NucorEMCUnited States Steel

Baker HughesTime Warner CableUnion Pacific

United States Automobile AssociationExelonKohl's

Whirlpool Capital One FinancialIllinois Tool Works

Cummins AES Southern Company

J.C. Penney Apache Colgate-Palmolive

Altria GroupJabil CircuitDanaher

PaccarFirstEnergyTRW Automotive Holdings

Computer SciencesEatonMedtronic

PNC Financial Services Group Bank of New York Mellon Southwest Airlines

Amgen Progressive HollyFrontier

CenturyLinkNextEra EnergyMarathon Oil

L-3 Communications Oneok American Electric Power

ViacomQualcommPG&E Corp.

PPG IndustriesGeneral MillsGlobal Partners

Dollar GeneralNational Oilwell Varco Gap

Duke EnergyDominion ResourcesCBS

Lear LoewsDISH Network

Anadarko PetroleumNavistar International Toys "R" Us

Baxter InternationalOmnicom GroupAutoNation

Community Health SystemsTexas InstrumentsAlly Financial

Chubb Waste Management Aramark

Kellogg Dean FoodsUS Airways Group

Consolidated EdisonLand O' LakesEdison International

PPL Yum BrandsGenuine Parts

ConAgra FoodsParker HannifinMarriott International

Smithfield FoodsCoventry Health Care Sara Lee

Health NetPenske Automotive GroupIcahn Enterprises

MonsantoThermo Fisher Scientific CSX

StarbuckseBayChesapeake Energy

Liberty InteractiveMarsh & McLennanDevon Energy

Office DepotAvon Products Aon

Textron Huntsman Praxair

EntergyPublic Service Enterprise GroupNorfolk Southern

Nordstrom First Data H.J. Heinz

SAICXcel EnergyLincoln National

Ameriprise FinancialR.R. Donnelley & SonsGuardian Life Insurance Company of America

Applied MaterialsStanley Black & Decker Synnex

Jacobs Engineering GroupPeter Kiewit Sons'Limited Brands

Newmont MiningGenworth FinancialC.H. Robinson Worldwide

Unum GroupLiberty GlobalState Street Corp.

EOG ResourcesWhole Foods MarketAir Products and Chemicals

Sempra EnergyBB&T Corp. Mosaic

Automatic Data Processing CDW SunTrust Banks

Tenet HealthcareGameStopMotorola Solutions

URS Western Digital VF

Las Vegas SandsCarMax KBR

Visa Enbridge Energy PartnersBlackRock

NRG EnergyWestern RefiningDTE Energy

Caesars EntertainmentReinsurance Group of AmericaEstee Lauder

Micron TechnologyAGCOSherwin-Williams

Bed Bath & BeyondPrincipal FinancialCrown Holdings

Ball Owens & Minor Ross Stores

Discover Financial ServicesFamily Dollar StoresReynolds American

Henry Schein DoverCenterPoint Energy

Gilead SciencesAshland Stryker

Hertz Global HoldingsAssurantKinder Morgan

Energy Transfer EquityAutolivRepublic Services

Reliance Steel & AluminumPeabody EnergyGreat Atlantic & Pacific Tea

W.W. GraingerAutoZoneVisteon

AECOM TechnologySteel DynamicsCoca-Cola Enterprises

Williams Commercial MetalsHormel Foods

Corning TravelCenters of AmericaSonic Automotive

MGM Resorts InternationalThrivent Financial for LutheransBecton Dickinson

Campbell SoupBoston ScientificDana Holding

Oshkosh MascoUniversal Health Services

AmerenQuest DiagnosticsDarden Restaurants

Regions FinancialBroadcomOwens-Illinois

Eastman Chemical Pantry Cablevision Systems

Dole FoodTennecoCharter Communications

Spectrum Group InternationalFranklin ResourcesOfficeMax

BorgWarnerAlpha Natural ResourcesEnergy Future Holdings

Interpublic Group DaVita Barnes & Noble

Targa Resources Cameron InternationalCalpine

EcolabCliffs Natural ResourcesAvery Dennison

Celanese NII HoldingsMasterCard

JardenFifth Third BancorpDollar Tree

Weyerhaeuser Agilent TechnologiesSanmina-SCI

NuStar EnergyAdvanced Micro DevicesTerex

CMS EnergyAK Steel HoldingAmerican Family Insurance Group

Dillard'sMcGraw-HillAmerigroup

Anixter InternationalPrecision CastpartsMattel

OmnicareCorn Products InternationalSymantec

Advance Auto PartsCore-Mark HoldingCC Media Holdings

Expeditors International of Washington Mylan Wesco International

Cognizant Technology SolutionsConsol EnergyPetSmart

WellCare Health PlansCF Industries Holdings UGI

Hershey Group 1 AutomotiveMeadWestvaco

Ryder SystemEastman KodakNiSource

Rockwell AutomationMutual of Omaha InsuranceShaw Group

Harris Newell RubbermaidPepco Holdings

CBRE GroupDr Pepper Snapple GroupAvis Budget Group

PVH Pacific Life General Cable

ExelisHealth Management AssociatesO'Reilly Automotive

Fidelity National Information Services SLM Seaboard

Emcor GroupAuto-Owners InsuranceSanDisk

Ralph LaurenMohawk IndustriesSealed Air

Starwood Hotels & ResortsFoot LockerDomtar

St. Jude Medical Spectra Energy Booz Allen Hamilton Holding

CH2M Hill Kelly ServicesAvaya

Laboratory Corp. of AmericaKindred HealthcareWestern Union

SPX NCR Allergan

Rock-TennLive Nation EntertainmentGraybar Electric

Momentive Specialty Chemicals CenteneOwens Corning

Catalyst Health Solutions Clorox Bemis

Harley-Davidson Con-WayInsight Enterprises

Pitney Bowes Wynn ResortsBrightPoint

Frontier Communications Gannett Dick's Sporting Goods

Big LotsAllegheny TechnologiesTelephone & Data Systems

Timken W.R. BerkleyFidelity National Financial

Casey's General StoresNetAppFMC Technologies

Biogen IdecCVR EnergyUnited Stationers

Host Hotels & ResortsSunGuard Data SystemsMeritor

Western & Southern Financial GroupYahooVanguard Health Systems

Charles SchwabSusser HoldingsYRC Worldwide

El PasoCIT GroupMetroPCS Communications

Alliant TechsystemsCelgeneMRC Global

Aleris J.M. Smucker Rockwell Collins

Erie Insurance GroupNash-FinchKeyCorp

Molina HealthcareMcKesson

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