News

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. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, and Congressman Russell Fry (SC-07) celebrated the House passage of the SHOWER Act, legislation that would increase consumer choice and put an end to regulatory whiplash for American manufacturers.

H.R. 4593, the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation with Exceptional Rinsing (SHOWER) Act, addresses burdensome regulations created under the Biden-Harris Administration and codifies the definition of a showerhead to reduce regulatory whiplash and restore consumer choice.

“American families deserve the freedom to buy the appliances and technologies that work best for them, not what federal regulators mandate. The decision to limit water flow by the Biden-Harris Administration was part of a broader effort to use heavy-handed federal regulations to limit consumer choice,” said Chairman Guthrie. “The SHOWER Act would address this issue by providing certainty for manufacturers, while improving water flow for consumers and restoring Congress’s original intent. Thank you to Congressman Fry for his work to advance this important legislation.”

“The House’s passage of my bill, the SHOWER Act, is a small win for common sense and consumer choice. At its core, this legislation isn’t just about showerheads — it’s about how far Democrats go to control our everyday lives, even in something small like a showerhead,” said Rep. Fry. “The SHOWER Act puts a stop to unnecessary federal overreach, protects consumer choice, and ensures Americans can make their own decisions in their own homes. Passing this bill is a victory for personal choice for Americans over the ‘all-knowing’ bureaucrats of Washington.”

BACKGROUND:

H.R. 4593, the SHOWER Act—Rep. Fry (SC-07)

• The Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA) defines “showerhead” broadly and, under current law, allows the maximum water use for any showerhead to be 2.5 gallons per minute (GPM) when measured at a flowing water pressure of 80 pounds per square inch.

• Historically, these standards and definitions were plainly interpreted until the Obama Administration—and then the Biden-Harris Administration—changed the commonsense regulations by asserting that the 2.5 GPM standard applied to the entire shower system, rather than an individual faucet.

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 Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09), celebrated the House passage of legislation advanced by the Committee on Energy and Commerce to make home ownership more affordable and increase consumer choice.

H.R. 5148, the Affordable HOMES Act, led by Congresswoman Houchin (IN-09), cuts through red tape encumbering the manufactured housing industry, helping to lower the cost of home ownership for millions of Americans.

Attributable to Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce:

“This legislation is essential to our work to cut red tape and lower costs for hard-working American families. The Affordable HOMES Act cuts redundant regulations to help restore the American Dream of home ownership for millions of families,” said Chairman Guthrie. “Thank you to Congresswoman Houchin for your work to lead theAffordable HOMES and support our communities.”

Attributable to Congresswoman Erin Houchin (IN-09):

“As demand for affordable homes has surged, so have unnecessary costs, making the dream of homeownership slip further out of reach for Americans. The Affordable HOMES Act takes a practical approach by cutting red tape and regulations that contribute to pricing American families out of owning a home, which will increase supply and lower costs,” said Rep. Houchin. “I’m proud to see the House take an important step toward restoring the American Dream with the passage of this bill.”

BACKGROUND:

H.R. 5184, the Affordable HOMES Act—Rep. Houchin (IN-09)

• Manufactured homes play an important role in meeting our nation’s demand for affordable housing. In 2023, approximately 16.6 million Americans resided in manufactured homes.
• Under current law, the Department of Energy (DOE) has the authority to establish energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing.
• This authority is duplicative of the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) long-standing, exclusive authority over these energy codes for manufactured housing.
• This legislation streamlines the standard setting process, helps lower the cost of manufactured housing, and increases housing affordability for American home buyers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (KY-02), Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, delivered remarks on the House floor regarding H.R. 4593, the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing (SHOWER) Act, which codifies the definition of a showerhead to reduce regulatory whiplash and restore consumer choice.

Chairman Guthrie’s remarks on H.R. 4593, the Saving Homeowners from Overregulation With Exceptional Rinsing (SHOWER) Act:

“Under the previous administration, American consumers were subjected to Washington’s constant micromanagement of appliances and equipment in their homes and businesses.

“In fact, the Biden-Harris Administration finalized more than 30 new or amended energy efficiency standards, totaling over $60 billion in costs, and regulating nearly every appliance in American’s home.

“Part of this effort focused on complicating the definition of a showerhead by prohibiting multi-nozzle shower systems if the whole system collectively delivers more than 2.5 gallons of water per minute instead of following the straightforward statutory definition of showerhead.

“The new, highly bureaucratic definition was an amazing 13,000 words in length, and a novel interpretation. This resulted in shower systems with more than one nozzle having a lower flowrate compared to individual showerheads.

“Additionally, this definition is misleading to consumers looking to buy multi-nozzle shower systems for the purpose of increasing water flow.

“President Trump has taken executive action to restore the regulatory definitions and standards to the law’s original intent, by allowing a maximum water use of 2.5 gallons per minute for each faucet in a shower system.

“H.R. 4593 would codify President Trump’s definition by allowing the 2.5 maximum flow rate to apply to each nozzle in the shower system.

“This legislation will ensure manufacturers, like Delta Faucet in my district, are not subjected to the swing of the political pendulum, with ever-changing interpretations of the law.

“Further, this legislation is simple and pro-consumer choice. It is unfortunate that my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are seeking more regulation for its own sake, limiting the choices of American consumers.

“If an individual wants lower water pressure, they have a variety of options. They can purchase a single nozzle showerhead, or they can simply turn down the faucet. It’s that simple.

“But those choices must be left to individual Americans, not Washington bureaucrats.

“H.R. 4593 would bring regulatory certainty to manufacturers, performance effectiveness to a household appliance we all use, and choice to American consumers.

“I urge my colleagues to support it and reserve the balance of my time.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, delivered the following opening statement at today’s hearing titled American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era.

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

“Today’s hearing will examine the current state of the nuclear industry, the emerging prospects for the rapid and widespread deployment of new nuclear technologies, and what more may be done to enable success.

“The importance of successful growth of American nuclear energy cannot be understated.

“Most importantly, what we need in this country is more energy.

“We need firm, reliable power, versatile power, and more of it. We need power for emerging industrial output and the AI race—also for homes and businesses.

“A robust and growing nuclear industry also strengthens our national security. It does so through increased nuclear commerce with allies and through a more cost-effective industrial base.

“Congress has already taken significant steps that will optimize the regulatory system and related policies to assist in domestic nuclear deployment.

“The ADVANCE Act, major provisions of which were developed by Energy and Commerce Members, focused on licensing efficiency, reducing costs, and increasing predictability in Nuclear Regulatory Commission licensing.

“It also provided for improved coordination among agencies and increasing access to nuclear technology for our allies. It increased the ability of allies to invest in American nuclear projects.

“Congress also enacted legislation to secure nuclear fuel supplies.

“It did so by providing funding to jump start work to develop advanced fuels and banning Russian fuels to create the market conditions that will incentivize new domestic fuel capacity.

“This legislative work builds upon other legislative measures concerning federal loan and credit programs, nuclear demonstrations, and technical support, and long-term liability protections for nuclear reactors.

_“Congress has established a strong framework for nuclear development for coming decades. How this is being implemented will be an important topic for this hearing. _

“By any measure, the prospects of expanded nuclear power in the United States have been improving dramatically in recent years.

“Consider that only five or six years ago, we were confronting a wave of nuclear retirements. Today, closed nuclear reactors are being restarted, and utilities are seeking to produce more power at existing sites.

“This Monday, NRC for the first time approved replacement of analog safety equipment with digital controls—which paves the way for modernizing safety controls across the fleet. This action, finally taken after years of regulatory churn, creates a template for other plants to seek NRC approval of digitization.

“There is growing interest in new builds for the large Westinghouse AP1000—the advanced light-water reactor brought on-line at Plant Vogtle in Georgia.

“And a growing number of advanced nuclear technologies are moving into or through the licensing pipeline.

“Major new players, including manufacturers, are providing support and financing for new projects.

“The Trump Administration, meanwhile, is also working to advance nuclear on a number of fronts.

“It is accelerating regulatory reforms—consistent with the ADVANCE Act—for more efficient, risk-informed licensing. It is working to bring in more foreign investment, accelerate innovative new technology demonstrations, and develop small reactors for military bases.

“How this is going and how it can work more effectively will also be a useful focus for this hearing.

“Our witnesses today will provide important perspective to help us assess what more may be necessary to ensure success.

“Maria Korsnick, President and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute, a nuclear engineer, former chief nuclear officer and plant operator, will offer the broad industry view for what is necessary for advancing nuclear.

“John Williams, Senior Vice President of Southern Nuclear Operating Company, among other experience overseeing nuclear operations brings the perspective of having overseen the construction and operation of the first new nuclear units in 30 years.

“Judi Greenwald, President and CEO of the Nuclear Innovation Alliance, will offer the views of a leading Washington nuclear policy organization, which informed some of our work on the ADVANCE Act.

“And, finally, John Wagner, Director of Idaho National Laboratory, will provide the perspective of the National Lab responsible for a substantial amount of nuclear research and development and what he sees across the landscape of nuclear policy today.

“The success of our work in Congress to advance durable nuclear deployment will depend on appropriate and efficient regulatory decisions, dependable supply chains and fuels, predictable construction and deployment costs, and, of course, market demand.

“This hearing can help us in our work.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressman Bob Latta (OH-05), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Energy, led a hearing titled American Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era.

“The importance of the successful growth of the American nuclear energy industry cannot be understated.” said Chairman Latta. “We need firm, reliable power, versatile power, and more of it. We need power for emerging industrial output and the AI race—also for homes and businesses. A robust and growing nuclear industry also strengthens our national security. It does so through increased nuclear commerce with allies and through a more cost-effective industrial base.”

Watch the full hearing here.

Below are key excerpts from today’s hearing:

Congressman Troy Balderson (OH-12): “From the standpoint of our constituencies, these new nuclear facilities, how would they work out in the long run for our ratepayers?” Mr. Williams: “There are a lot of benefits of nuclear generation to our ratepayers. First and foremost, they're 24/7. They are baseload generation and capacity for our customers. They provide fuel stability and they have low operating costs. So, in our market, when our nuclear units are running, our customers are paying less for the electricity that they receive than they otherwise would.”

Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (IA-01): “While our nuclear industry stagnated, as has been pointed out, China and Russia surged ahead, now accounting for 94% of reactors under construction worldwide. That competition isn't just about electricity, it's about American jobs, domestic manufacturing, exporting knowledge, equipment, and secure supply chains. We've watched critical skills atrophy and lost a generation of nuclear expertise. Rebuilding our nuclear energy industry means rebuilding the workforce, supply chains, and the industrial base that comes with it.”

Congressman August Pfluger (TX-11): “This hearing is very significant, because there's a race and that race is not just for AI, although that is extremely important, but the race is for an assortment of energy needs. That demand is going to continue to increase at an exponential rate, and that leads me to a question for Mr. Williams. Which utilities are seeing unprecedented load growth for data centers and how much regulatory certainty is needed before you can commit nuclear resources to continue to serve that load at scale?” Mr. Williams: “We are seeing tremendous load growth, especially in the southeast, and Southern Company is planning to meet that commitment. You know, we believe that preserving the option for new nuclear generation is important for our customers as we look for that. But we've got to mitigate the risks that are associated with that. We laid those out in our testimony today, and that's our focus. How do we mitigate those risks? Working through public-private partnerships, working with the customers, and making sure that we can do that. Because what we want to do is when we bring that data center on, we want to put downward pressure on rates for the rest of our customers. That's the model that we've established in Georgia, that's what we want to continue to do, and that's what we're focused on.”

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, announced a hearing titled Protecting America’s Energy Infrastructure in Today’s Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.

“Safeguarding our nation’s energy infrastructure is vital to providing affordable and reliable power while protecting American communities,” said Chairmen Guthrie and Latta. “Right now, the energy infrastructure in the United States faces numerous cyber and physical threats from sophisticated nation-state actors as well as criminals or ideologically driven hackers. To confront these issues, our Committee will hold a legislative hearing to discuss solutions for our energy infrastructure that would help to strengthen collaboration between the government and the private sector, detect cybersecurity threats, and increase physical security.”

Subcommittee on Energy hearing titled Protecting America’s Energy Infrastructure in Today’s Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.

WHAT: Subcommittee on Energy hearing to discuss legislation that will focus 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

This hearing will focus on the following bills:

• H.R.____, Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026
• H.R.____, Energy Emergency Leadership Act
• H.R.____, Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act
• H.R. ____, Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act
• H.R.____, Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act

This notice is at the direction of the Chairman. The hearing will be open to the public and press and will be livestreamed online at energycommerce.house.gov. If you have any questions concerning this hearing, please contact Calvin Huggins at Calvin.Huggins1@mail.house.gov. If you have any press-related questions, please contact Ben Mullany at Ben.Mullany@mail.house.gov.