Smith, Weber, Babin: Electric grid resiliency – the update America needs (Houston Chronicle)
Electric grid resiliency - the update America needs
By Reps.
We live in an electrified world. Energy delivered through our electric grid powers heating, cooling, lighting, computer systems, internet servers and security measures across the country. Today, the grid is threatened by cyber threats and physical disruptions from natural disasters, including hurricanes.
Lawmakers frequently reference these threats to our power system, as well as the technological solutions to stop or prevent damage from these attacks. But we often ignore the fact that damage to the power grids can and will continue to occur. Because of this, grid resiliency - the ability of system operators to prevent disruptions in power, limit the duration of a power disruption, and quickly repair potential damage - is crucial. We can't predict when a cyberattack could threaten our power supply. And, as we were reminded last month with the impact of Hurricane Harvey in
Harvey provided a real-time example of why grid resiliency matters. In
Preparedness and investment in resilient systems can pay off when disaster strikes. When Hurricane Ike hit
While we are thankful for the potential losses we avoided, we know personally how many of our constituents, including our families and friends, have been affected. Many have lost homes, belongings, and some have even lost loved ones. We are making every effort to help those impacted by the storm. And in the midst of the cleanup and the rebuilding, we've been reminded that our people are resilient, too.
As we continue to rebuild, we must prioritize improving the resilience of our electric grid, which is not a simple task. New technology designed to increase resiliency, like the smart meters that help us better understand and respond to outages, can also increase exposure to cybersecurity threats.
Compounding the problem, government programs and response efforts for grid threats are fragmented across federal agencies. Within the Science Committee's jurisdiction alone, programs to improve grid resiliency and cybersecurity are funded at the
A recent report from the National Academies of Science's (NAS) academic, industry, and national security contributors called for a national strategy to streamline federal programs and improve grid resiliency. It's time for
This same study also emphasized the importance of
On
Read the full op-ed at: http://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/Smith-Weber-Babin-Electric-grid-resiliency-12247592.php.
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