DHS, DOE Meet With Oil And Natural Gas Sector Council, Announce Pipeline Cybersecurity Initiative

“This meeting was a key milestone in the partnership between the federal government and the oil and natural gas industry, as we launched the pipeline cybersecurity initiative that partners…

WASHINGTON – Last week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met with the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council as part of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske and National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Under Secretary Christopher Krebs led the meeting alongside Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary Karen Evans and leaders from the oil and natural gas industry.

The group discussed ways industry and government can take a more strategic approach to securing pipelines and other critical infrastructure. 

“The National Risk Management Center (NRMC) is DHS’s effort to secure tomorrow’s infrastructure, providing a central point of entry for working with industry to manage long-term strategy risk across our critical infrastructure sectors,” said NPPD Under Secretary Christopher Krebs. “This meeting was a key milestone in the partnership between the federal government and the oil and natural gas industry, as we launched the pipeline cybersecurity initiative that partners DHS NPPD cybersecurity resources, DOE’s energy sector expertise, with TSA’s regular and ongoing assessments of pipeline security to get a broader understanding of the risks the sector faces. Collaborative efforts like this allow us to better understand the threat landscape and direct more targeted and prioritized risk management activities. We look forward to continuing these important meetings with the other critical infrastructure sectors across the country.” 

“TSA is committed to the mission of securing the nation’s natural gas and oil pipelines, and values longstanding relationships with pipeline operators across this great nation,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “This meeting and the ones to follow will build upon the expanded cyber security measures in the recently updated Pipeline

Security Guidelines and our collaboration with the National Risk Management Center to minimize the consequences of an attack or disruption.”

“As the Sector-Specific Agency for the energy sector, the U.S. Department of Energy is committed to working with our industry and interagency partners to enhance our nation’s energy security,” said DOE Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response Karen S. Evans. “The Pipeline Cybersecurity Initiative will leverage the unique expertise of DOE, DHS, TSA, and other federal agencies to support the efforts of the Oil and Natural Gas Subsector Coordinating Council to address the threats to our nation’s pipelines.”

Secretary Nielsen announced the NRMC during the DHS National Cybersecurity Summit in New York City this summer.