Emerging Tech

Energy allocates $16M for high-performance machine learning research

A total of seven academic institutions and national labs working on leveraging supercomputing capabilities to advance predictive modeling and simulation received new funding. 

Cybersecurity

Energy Department officials eye 2027 date to stand-up cyber intelligence center

Officials from the department's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response told House members Tuesday that work within the threat-sharing pilot program has already shown progress and could use more resources from Congress.

Acquisition

Energy Dept. makes plans to take its HR system to the cloud

DOE says it is looking to become the first federal agency to launch a fully cloud-based human resources system, and possibly become a shared-services provider in the future.

Acquisition

GAO calls on Energy Department to bolster competition for management contracts

The congressional watchdog learned of industry worries about broadly scoped contracts that potentially shut out small- and medium-sized firms.

Acquisition

GSA, DOE look to the private sector for green building tech

The federal government is looking for ways to help commercial buildings transition away from their reliance on fossil fuels while aiming to achieve economy-wide net zero emissions by 2050.

Acquisition

Funding challenges hamper cyber EO compliance, CIOs say

A group of agency CIOs shared their biggest obstacles in meeting a series of aggressive deadlines and modernization goals of the Biden administration's sweeping cybersecurity executive order.

Modernization

IT, supply chain figure in agency climate plans

Federal agencies release climate adaptation and resilience plans, many of which feature new initiatives to combat current and future risks to critical infrastructure and information technology.

Cybersecurity

Granholm refocuses Energy's cyber shop

The Energy Department is seeking 30% increase in funding for the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response, and plans new roles and new authority for the organization.

Cybersecurity

TSA preps second pipeline cyber directive

A senior TSA official told House lawmakers on Tuesday that it is preparing to issue a second security directive focused on cybersecurity mitigation measures used by pipeline companies.

Cybersecurity

Lawmakers seek IG probes of telework cybersecurity

A group of House lawmakers are calling on the inspectors general of nine executive departments and the intelligence community to see what cybersecurity vulnerabilities may have arisen due to the mass increase of telework during the coronavirus pandemic.

Cybersecurity

House advances cybersecurity bills in wake of pipeline company hack

Following a week filled with a devastating ransomware attack and a massive executive order to strengthen the federal government's networks, a House panel on Tuesday advanced several bills largely aimed at DHS and CISA.

Cybersecurity

TSA's role in pipeline security looks like a weak link to some in government and industry

Questions about whether TSA is rightly positioned to oversee cybersecurity for natural gas and oil pipelines are resurfacing in the wake of the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline.

Cybersecurity

White House, CISA react to pipeline ransomware attack

Senior administration officials say multiple government agencies are working to distribute information to industry about the ransomware attack that led to the shutdown of a key natural gas pipeline for the East Coast.

Cybersecurity

Granholm says cyber R&D is a priority at DOE

The agency chief said is refocusing the Energy Department's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response on providing grid operators with threat intelligence and response capabilities.

Digital Government

Former CIO urges lawmakers to relax TMF paybacks

The $1 billion boost to the Technology Modernization Fund can help agencies, but some changes to strict payback rules will help CIO shops get started on much-needed modernization.

Cybersecurity

White House launches cybersecurity push targeting electricity sector

The pilot program to improve the cybersecurity of the nation's electricity infrastructure is part of a broader initiative focused on industrial control systems.

Cybersecurity

A renewed push for secure modernization

With the SolarWinds breach as a catalyst and new leadership across government, agencies are rethinking their roadmaps.

Modernization

GAO warns on cyber risks to power grid

The country's electrical systems are increasingly susceptible to cyberattacks, according to government auditors, and there is uncertainty about the extent to which a localized attack might cascade through power distribution systems.

People

Agency STEM workforces in decline, report finds

A new committee report details the dramatic decline in the STEM workforces of federal science agencies. Lawmakers talked ideas to rebuild the workforce at a hearing on Wednesday.

Modernization

FERC proposes incentives for electric companies to improve cybersecurity

The new rule, proposed by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, would subsidize electric companies that upgrade their cybersecurity infrastructure beyond the minimum requirements.