Energy cybersecurity legislation advanced by House

The House has approved the Energy Cybersecurity University Leadership Program Act aimed at strengthening the cybersecurity defenses of the U.S. energy infrastructure following the ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline last year, reports The Hill. Under the bill, the Department of Energy will be mandated to create a grant program for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers engaged in cybersecurity and energy infrastructure studies. Moreover, the Energy secretary will be required to update Congress regarding the program's development and implementation up to a year following the passage of the bill. "The United States has witnessed an alarming rise in cybersecurity threats and attacks against our energy infrastructure, including in my home state of North Carolina. Our constituents rely on dependable energy sources for their lives and their livelihoods, and we cannot afford continued exposure to these types of attacks," said Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C., who co-sponsored the bill with Rep. Mike Carey, R-Ohio.