WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), senior member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Ranking Member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, sent a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette encouraging him to engage with developers and providers of bulk power system equipment throughout the agency’s efforts to protect the security and reliability of the electric grid.

“We also commend the Department of Energy for its swift action to fulfill the provisions of the Executive Order and to engage with stakeholders across the energy sector. However, we want to ensure that the vendors and manufacturers that will build and deliver the very grid equipment the Executive Order addresses are engaged with and utilized for their valuable knowledge and experience," the letter read in part. "We request that the Department of Energy actively engage these stakeholders during the development of rulemakings related to this Executive Order and through the efforts of the Task Force. We also request that the comments of vendors and manufacturers that respond to the Department’s Request For Information be given full consideration and weight during your review. Lastly, we ask that you report back to us with what companies you have engaged with and how by the implementation deadline for this Executive Order.” 

Read the full letter below or click here.

Dear Secretary Brouillette,

We write today to encourage the Department of Energy to engage with the developers and providers of bulk power system equipment throughout its efforts to protect the security and reliability of the electric grid.

We commend the President for the recent Executive Order 13920 (“Securing the United States Bulk Power System”); it is an important step towards safeguarding the nation’s electric grid from possible security attacks from foreign actors. This action will ensure agencies across the federal government work together to make sure we have safe and secure supply chains for critical infrastructure like the bulk power system.

We also commend the Department of Energy for its swift action to fulfill the provisions of the Executive Order and to engage with stakeholders across the energy sector. However, we want to ensure that the vendors and manufacturers that will build and deliver the very grid equipment the Executive Order addresses are engaged with and utilized for their valuable knowledge and experience. We request that the Department of Energy actively engage these stakeholders during the development of rulemakings related to this Executive Order and through the efforts of the Task Force. We also request that the comments of vendors and manufacturers that respond to the Department’s Request For Information be given full consideration and weight during your review. Lastly, we ask that you report back to us with what companies you have engaged with and how by the implementation deadline for this Executive Order.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.