Homeland Security, Energy Department officials meet to discuss energy security

Officials from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met with the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council this week to discuss how industry and government can work strategically to secure pipelines and other critical infrastructure.

The meeting was led by Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Administrator David Pekoske and the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) Under Secretary Christopher Krebs, along with Department of Energy (DOE) Assistant Secretary Karen Evans and oil and natural gas industry leaders.

“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,” Krebs said. “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.”

DHS launched this summer the National Risk Management Center, which was created to provide a forum to work with industry to manage risks to infrastructure.

“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,” Pekoske said. “This meeting and the ones to follow will build upon the expanded cybersecurity 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.”

Evans said the DOE is committed to working with industry and interagency partners to enhance the nation’s energy security.

“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,” Evans said.