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One of the themes that ran through last year’s presidential campaign is the need to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Electric co-ops have been in the infrastructure development and improvement business for decades and hope to work with leaders in Washington to continue this important progress. 88878001

Co-ops continuously improve the cyber and physical security of our systems and have been leaders in developing and using smart grid technologies. A strong public-private partnership is essential, particularly in the area of cyber security. Electric cooperatives also support a wide range of research activities to help improve our nation’s future energy infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy and other agencies remain key partners in advancing this research, as well.

When it comes to our nation’s electric, water and power utilities, cyber security needs to be a priority. It is a complex and complicated infrastructure and plays a pivotal role in the delivery and performance of so
many of our daily functions and processes. The electricity sector is striving to improve on its history of protecting its assets from security threats, including long-standing programs and protocols designed to protect utility systems. One way utilities are doing this is by incorporating information technology (IT) systems into its operations – commonly referred to as smart grid. This is part of a nationwide effort to improve reliability and efficiency. Utilities also partner with federal, state/provincial and local government and law enforcement agencies in both the United States and Canada to ensure they can respond effectively to any event that may impact operations.

Electric cooperatives and other utilities work with one another and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy and Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission on matters of critical infrastructure protection – including sharing information about threats and vulnerabilities related to the bulk electric system. The electric sector will continue partnering with government agencies like this on matters of critical infrastructure protection to improve physical and cyber security for its assets.