Bill > HR7257

This bill, known as the SECURE Grid Act, amends the Energy Policy and Conservation Act to require states to include measures for the physical security, cybersecurity, and resilience of their local distribution systems in their State energy security plans. A "local distribution system" is defined as energy infrastructure owned and operated by an electric utility at a voltage of 100 kilovolts or less. The bill expands the scope of entities involved in energy security planning to include suppliers of equipment for electricity generation, transmission, and distribution. It mandates that state plans address potential hazards, including physical threats like weather, attacks on local distribution systems and the bulk-power system, and supply chain risks, as well as cybersecurity threats to local distribution systems. The bill also requires states to provide a risk mitigation approach to enhance reliability and resilience, including methods for responding to and recovering from these hazards. Importantly, the bill changes a provision from "may" to "shall," making it mandatory for states to submit these plans. The section of law addressing these plans will expire on September 30, 2031. Additionally, the bill mandates a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) by September 30, 2030, to evaluate the effectiveness of these state energy security plans and provide recommendations for improvement.