Energy

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, led a legislative hearing titled Protecting America’s Energy Infrastructure in Today’s Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.

“Altogether, this package of security bills comes at a critical time,” said Chairman Latta. “Our adversaries remain close on our heels to overtake the United States as the leading technological superpower on the world stage. Our communities cannot afford to endure disruptive large-scale attacks that can be prevented with commonsense solutions and collaboration.”

Watch the full hearing ** here **.

Below are key excerpts from yesterday's hearing:

Congressman Randy Weber (TX-14): “I like to tell people that the things that make America great are the things that America makes. Now, how do we do that? We do that with a reliable, dependable power system. Electric grids include all of those things that we need—everything that we need to make this country great. It’s the President’s reason for doing all of the things he’s doing that continues to make America great, so that we have a dependable, reliable, affordable energy supply. Would you agree?” Mr. Fitzsimmons: “Yes, I would, sir. And I would add to that the energy system has to be built to meet peak demand in the summer and the winter, when electricity is needed most or people die. The head of NERC has called the situation facing the grid due to the disastrous energy subtraction policies of the previous administration, a five-alarm fire for the grid. That is simply because of the premature retirement of too much reliable, dispatchable generation.”

Congressman Nick Langworthy (NY-23): “Not only is my district rural, but we also experience severe winter storms that can threaten grid reliability, fuel delivery, and emergency response for days at a time. During Winter Storm Elliott in 2022, a prolonged cold and high energy demand strained the electrical grid. It disrupted fuel supplies, and it complicated restoration efforts. The storm underscored how weather alone can expose vulnerabilities across the entire energy system, even without a cyber or a physical attack. Under Secretary Fitzsimmons, how does DOE evaluate and plan for severe weather risks? And what steps does your office take to incorporate lessons from past severe weather events into preparedness, response, and coordination efforts?” Mr. Fitzsimmons: “That’s a great question because as I mentioned, the energy system is built to meet summer and winter peaks. That is our fundamental responsibility to keep the lights on. And so, one of the core capabilities that CESER has is a capability that’s called Eagle Eye. It’s run in partnership with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. And that allows us to have real-time situational awareness on power outages all across the country.”

Congresswoman Laurel Lee (FL-15): “I am particularly interested in the Energy Emergency Leadership Act, which would update the Department of Energy Organization Act to include energy emergency and energy security functions assigned to an assistant secretary. Mr. Fitzsimmons, will elevating the DOE’s emergency response to an assistant secretary elevate the level of communication and coordination with other agencies?” Mr. Fitzsimmons: “I think what’s more important than the particular title that the head of the office holds is the mission of the office, and that is incredibly important. We’ve been working on refocusing and clarifying the CESER mission because it is so important. It’s a new office, and sometimes new offices can kind of struggle to figure out where they fit. What we’ve said is CESER’s mission is to provide timely and actionable information to the energy sector. That’s then used to inform the development of world-class cyber and physical security technologies, which are used to harden and secure energy infrastructure.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, delivered the following opening statement at today's hearing titled Protecting America's Energy Infrastructure in Today's Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.

Subcommittee Chairman Latta’s opening statement as prepared for delivery:

“Welcome to today’s hearing and thank you to the witnesses for appearing before us to inform our legislative efforts to secure and strengthen the nation’s energy systems.

“The reliable delivery of energy through our critical infrastructure is foundational to the modern economy and the health and welfare of all our communities.

“At a time of tremendous growth in our nation’s energy demands, the need for effective security cannot be overstated.

“During our recent hearing examining cyber and physical threats, we heard directly from operators and experts about the capabilities of adversaries and the work to safeguard against efforts to exploit vulnerabilities to disrupt the everyday lives of hardworking Americans.

“Addressing cyber and physical threats is no easy task.

“The avenues for malicious activity only widen as digitization, communications, and linkages of gas pipelines, new generating resources, and transmission take root to meet energy demands.

“The interconnected nature of our energy systems requires constant intelligence sharing, clear visibility into threat landscapes, and sufficient resources to fill gaps in security protections for rural and small utility service territories.

“That is exactly what the legislation before us seeks to accomplish.

“Importantly, the Energy Emergency Leadership Act strengthens the Department of Energy’s central energy sector security mission.

“It does so by requiring that its well-established energy emergency and cyber functions are led by an Assistant Secretary, confirmed by the Senate.

“This will ensure the Department has the focused and accountable leadership to more fully protect the public from fuel and electricity supply disruptions, including emerging threats from our foreign adversaries to the nation’s electric grid.

“As the Sector Risk Management Agency for the energy sector, DOE requires visibility over the whole system and actively collaborates not only with the power sector, but also the oil and gas sector to prepare and respond appropriately to emergencies. DOE’s central role in Federal coordination and providing technical assistance as needed is critical for a secure energy system.

“The Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act will enhance and formalize DOE’s work in this area, so we have a stronger, more resilient energy sector.

“Alongside this bill, the Energy Threat Analysis Center Act would formally authorize a valuable program that improves information sharing and coordination on threat analyses.

“The Energy Threat Analysis Center, or ETAC, brings together key public and private partners, including the intelligence community, to address vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and provide operational support for energy sector resilience.

“The Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act will improve cybersecurity protocols and equipment for small utilities, electric co-operatives, and public power agencies by providing targeted funding and technical assistance.

“These small entities typically serve our most rural and remote communities that do not have the same resources as their larger investor-owned counterparts.

“States too play an essential role in protecting energy infrastructure within their borders.

“Last Congress, this committee held a field hearing in North Carolina to examine the attack on a substation in Moore County that left 30,000 people without power.

“The SECURE Grid Act, which I plan to sponsor with my colleague from California’s 7th Congressional district, builds upon the existing State Energy Security Plan framework to expand the visibility of potential threats to local distribution and supply chain networks.

“Altogether, this package of security bills comes at a critical time.

“Our adversaries remain close on our heels to overtake the United States as the leading technological superpower on the world stage.

“Our communities cannot afford to endure disruptive large-scale attacks that can be prevented with commonsense solutions and collaboration.

“The bills before us today present a bipartisan opportunity to secure our nation’s energy system so we can fuel economic growth in job creating industries across the country.

“Today we’ll hear from the Department of Energy, which has been helpful providing technical assistance to our bi-partisan work today.

“Alex Fitzsimmons, Acting Undersecretary of Energy, will provide a broad view of DOE’s important energy sector work and how this legislation may advance that work.

“Our second panel of witnesses will also inform our work from their perspectives on the front lines of cyber and physical threat protection.

“I look forward to the discussion today.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – This week, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce is holding three Subcommittee Hearings and one Subcommittee Markup. Read more below.

SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy held a hearing to discuss legislation focused on strengthening our nation’s energy infrastructure from cyber and physical threats.

• DATE: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
• TIME: 10:15 AM ET
• LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade held a hearing to examine ways to strengthen automotive safety, affordability, and leadership.

• DATE: Tuesday, January 13, 2026
• TIME: 2:00 PM ET
• LOCATION: 2175 Rayburn House Office Building

SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING: The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology is holding a hearing on oversight of the Federal Communications Commission.

• DATE: Wednesday, January 14, 2026
• TIME: 10:15 AM ET
• LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

SUBCOMMITTEE MARKUP: The Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a ** markup ** of 6 bills.

• DATE: Thursday, January 15, 2026
• TIME: 9:00 AM ET
• LOCATION: 2123 Rayburn House Office Building

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, sent a letter to Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), highlighting the IEA’s decision to restore the inclusion of objective data analysis in the World Energy Outlook (WEO). By bringing back the Current Policies Scenario (CPS) in the report, the IEA is returning to its core mission and working to promote energy security. “Strengthening our nation’s energy security is vital to securing our grid, powering AI and domestic manufacturing, and ensuring that Americans have the energy resources they need,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Latta. “For the last several years, IEA forecasts incorrectly assumed the peak demand for oil and natural gas would come before 2030. As a result, these forecasts deterred investments by painting an inaccurate picture of what energy markets will need in the future. By finally standing up to activist pressure opposing the use of oil and natural gas to power our economy, the IEA will once again be able to provide the unbiased market forecasts decision makers rely on to provide reliable and affordable energy into the future.”   Key excerpts from the letter:   “Maintaining objective data analysis, free from activism, is imperative. The IEA has long stood as an invaluable source of unbiased data and analysis on the security of oil markets. The agency’s work carries significant weight for policymakers, the energy industry, and global financial firms. “Yet in 2020, the IEA, under pressure from climate activists eager to exploit the agency’s credibility to discourage oil and gas investment, abandoned its longstanding CPS, and began only publishing WEOs that relied on subjective scenarios that assumed different degrees of adherence to climate action agreements. These aggressive Stated Policies Scenarios (STEPS), rely heavily on policy aspirations, while ignoring market realities. “In the United States alone, oil and natural gas account for about 74 percent of the primary energy sources consumed every year, with natural gas accounting for approximately 43 percent of electric power generation. Due to artificial intelligence and other technologies, the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) forecasts significant natural gas demand growth over the next several years. As you know, the EIA maintains the use of a policy-neutral baseline reference case. “Politicized and censored demand scenarios can distort policy decisions and misguide capital investment. Just last year, the Biden-Harris Administration leveraged these questionable IEA projections, while ignoring EIA data, to support banning liquefied natural gas export projects. This decision discouraged sufficient capital allocation toward critical energy supplies and emboldened Russia’s war machine.”   CLICK HERE to read the full letter. ###

WASHINGTON, D.C.  – Yesterday, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, along with Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, penned a letter to Secretary Jennifer Granholm questioning the Department of Energy’s involvement in the Biden-Harris Administration’s decision to prevent new offshore oil and gas production, leading to higher prices for consumers and harming U.S. energy security. KEY LETTER EXCERPT: “Closing off swaths of U.S. offshore areas to energy production, as the Biden-Harris Administration reportedly intends to do, will lead to higher energy prices for American families, the loss of American jobs, and greatly diminish our country’s energy security. As the Secretary of Energy, you have an obligation to weigh in on this matter and insist on a full review of the energy security and economic impacts before any decisions are finalized. “The United States stands at an energy crossroads, facing mounting global security threats and soaring demand for power. Instead of leading the world in energy production, we’ve allowed misguided “green” policies to hamstring our potential. It’s time to unleash American energy dominance again—the federal government must become an ally, not an obstacle, to our nation’s energy security. We look forward to your prompt response to this request, no later than January 10, 2025.” Read the story  here . BACKGROUND: This morning, the Biden Administration announced that more than 625 million square miles of coastline would be off-limits for energy production. Republican Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce have continuously called on the Biden-Harris Administration to end its attack on American energy production before leaving office on January 20th. The letter requests an explanation of the DOE’s involvement in the decision and whether the White House or the Department of Interior consulted with the DOE about the plans to close off access to offshore resources. Any decision to shut down access to significant American energy resources impacts U.S. energy policy and should be reviewed by the DOE. The Biden Administration’s energy policies have continued to create major harm to America’s energy production and workforce. A unilateral ban on energy production in large swaths of the U.S. coastline will have lasting impacts on American energy production and security.

“DOE is threatening domestic jobs and economic development, weakening the energy security of European allies, and strengthening our adversaries” Washington, D.C. — House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee Chair Jeff Duncan (R-SC), and Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chair Morgan Griffith (R-VA) sent a letter to Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm demanding the agency stop rushing to prematurely release its anti-liquefied natural gas (LNG) study, which aims to hamstring the incoming Presidential administration. The letter also calls for DOE to lift the pause on LNG exports, which was a politically motivated decision by the Biden administration to appease radical environmental activists at the expense of American energy security and the security of our allies. KEY LETTER EXCERPTS: “Despite DOE’s prior findings and published reviews in favor of U.S. LNG exports, and contrary to DOE’s limited statutory authority under the NGA, the Biden administration’s DOE announced that it would expand its environmental review as part of a ‘managed transition’ to reduce use of fossil fuels. Recent press reports indicate that DOE is racing to complete a study on the climate impacts of LNG exports to hamper the incoming Republican administration and provide opportunities to challenge future project approvals in court.” [...] “ The results of the 2024 presidential election are clear, and DOE leadership will soon change. As a traditional part of the peaceful transfer of power, DOE should immediately stop work on any plans to expand the scope of review or add new conditions to LNG export licenses. DOE should immediately lift the ban on LNG export approvals in compliance with the NGA and the District Court order.” BACKGROUND: January 26, 2024 : The Biden administration announces indefinite “pause” on LNG export permits. Chair Rodgers immediately rebukes the decision, calling it a “gift to Putin.” February 5, 2024 : More than 150 House Republicans demand President Biden ends his de facto ban on American LNG exports. February 15, 2024 : E&C Republicans lead bipartisan passage of H.R. 7176 to reverse President Biden’s LNG export ban. April 8, 2024 : The Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security holds a field hearing in Port Arthur, Texas, with local leaders and energy workers to highlight the economic and public benefits of American energy production, including job creation. November 7, 2024 : Bloomberg Law reports that the “Biden administration is racing to complete a study that could complicate President-Elect Donald Trump’s plan to immediately approve new liquefied natural gas export terminals.” CLICK HERE to read the full letter.