Key cybersecurity bills aimed at securing the nation’s energy infrastructure and electric grid are advancing to the full House Energy and Commerce panel after passing out of the House Subcommittee on Energy.
All five bills have bipartisan backing and advanced unanimously out of the energy subcommittee by voice vote. They will still need approval from the full committee, a House floor vote, and consideration from the Senate before landing on President Donald Trump’s desk.
Energy Emergency Leadership Act
Introduced by Reps. Laurel Lee, R-Fla., and Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act would add “energy emergency and energy security” to the list of responsibilities the Secretary of Energy assigns to Department of Energy (DOE) assistant secretaries. That work would include infrastructure security and resilience, cybersecurity, supply issues, and emergency planning, response, and restoration.
The bill’s text also says DOE should be able to step in with technical assistance when asked by energy-sector entities or state, local, or tribal governments for help protecting against, detecting, and responding to energy security threats and incidents.
“This will ensure the Department has the focused and accountable leadership that will strengthen intergovernmental and energy sector collaboration,” Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, who serves as subcommittee chair, said in opening remarks during the subcommittee’s markup.
A version of the Energy Emergency Leadership Act was also introduced in the last Congress.
Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act
Led by Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, R-Iowa, and Jennifer McClellan, D-Va., the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act would strengthen the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity Grant and Technical Assistance Program by authorizing $250 million in funding across fiscal years 2026 – 2030 and encouraging participation in information-sharing programs.
The grant and assistance program provides federal funding and technical support to rural electric cooperatives and municipal and small investor-owned utilities so they can deploy advanced cybersecurity technologies and defend and respond to cyber threats.
“Rural and municipal utilities often lack the resources needed to defend against increasingly complex cyber threats. This bipartisan legislation ensures they have the tools, training, and support necessary to protect the grid and keep the lights on for millions of Americans,” Miller-Meeks said in a statement.
Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act
Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., joined Latta in introducing the SECURE Grid Act, which would task states with considering threats and vulnerabilities to local grid infrastructure, available technologies to mitigate threats to energy distribution and rising grid demand, and other factors when submitting their state energy security plans (SESP).
SESPs are submitted annually to receive funds from the State Energy Program. Those funds are used to implement energy security and resiliency plans, invest in domestic energy resources, pilot projects, and reduce energy waste, according to a press release from Latta’s office.
“We must ensure America’s electric grid is secure and resilient for families and businesses across the country,” Latta said in a statement. “From extreme weather to physical and cyberattacks by adversaries that could disrupt our power supply, protecting the grid is a national priority.”
Matsui added, “Americans depend on reliable, affordable electricity for every aspect of our lives … That’s why I’m introducing the SECURE Grid Act to provide State officials with the support and funding they need to anticipate and respond to any and all threats to our electric grid.”
Latta and Matsui introduced another version of the SECURE Grid Act in 2024.
Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act
The Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, from Reps. Randy Weber, R-Texas, and Debbie Dingell, D-Mich., would charge the DOE with creating a new program to strengthen the physical security and cybersecurity of U.S. pipelines and liquefied natural gas facilities.
The program aims to improve coordination among federal, state, and energy sector partners by supporting coordinated responses and recovery from physical and cyber incidents. It would also develop voluntary cybersecurity tools and pilot projects, build workforce training curricula, and provide technical tools to help industry assess and boost its security capabilities.
“This legislation focuses on the Department of Energy’s vast technical capabilities to develop a program that improves the coordination and technical support needed to ensure timely, efficient, and effective work to secure our energy systems and respond to disruptions,” Weber said during the subcommittee markup.
Energy Threat Analysis Center (ETAC) Act of 2026
The ETAC Act of 2026 introduced by Reps. Gabe Evans, R-Colo., and Kathy Castor, D-Fla., aims to reauthorize the ETAC, which is located within the DOE’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response. The ETAC provides operational support for energy sector cybersecurity and resilience.
“It’s essential that we reauthorize ETAC. Chinese Communist Party-backed hacker groups like Volt Typhoon and Salt Typhoon have already embedded themselves in networks within critical infrastructure, and they’re operating at times undetected,” Evans said during the subcommittee markup.
“The preventative work that ETAC does protects communities and our national security from attacks like these,” he added.
Evans said in a press release that the bill would renew a public-private partnership with the DOE, its National Lab of the Rockies, and electric utilities to run threat assessments and preventative research to protect critical energy infrastructure. It would also target China-linked cyber threats and aim to tighten information-sharing and coordination among government, industry, and law enforcement, with the Rockies lab serving as the central hub.
Castor, who serves as ranking member of the subcommittee, said the proposal “strengthens the Department of Energy’s emergency response capabilities in the face of cybersecurity threats to our energy system.”
The pieces of legislation received support from Industry. Jim Richberg, head of global policy and global field chief information security officer at Fortinet, said the bills address small utilities that are often under-resourced but critical in powering much of the United States.
“The energy sector is arguably the one sector whose failure would cause all others to fail as well, once their backup power was exhausted,” Richberg said in a statement shared with MeriTalk. “The bills aim to build on proven ways of leveraging the expertise of the strong players in this ecosystem – such as the Department of Energy and the national labs – along with resources and cyber training to help the most vulnerable part of this interconnected sector.”