House Panel Clears Grid Security Bill

The Energy and Environment Subcommittee passed a bill on Wednesday to protect the nation's electricity grid from terrorism and cyber threats.

Passed on a unanimous voice vote, the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense Act -- or the GRID Act -- directs the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to protect the electric transmission and distribution grid from vulnerabilities.

The bill, which now moves to the full Energy and Commerce Committee, would give FERC the power to issue orders for emergency measures under the directive of the president.

It also requires the agency to enforce privacy measures and prohibit the disclosure of protected information, but states that "the commission shall protect from disclosure only the minimum amount of information necessary to protect the reliability of the bulk-power system and of defense critical electric infrastructure."

If passed, the legislation will provide a security framework for the Smart Grid -- a Web-enabled power grid which allows users to monitor their energy consumption -- that is in the early stages of planning now.

A week ago, Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., filed the Consumers' Right to Know Act (or e-KNOW), which would give consumers the right to access their energy information. It also would require FERC to consult with appropriate federal agencies in issuing guidelines on how to facilitate this.