Review - HR 3078 Introduced - Pipeline and LNG Facility Cybersecurity

Last month Rep Upton (R,MI) introduced HR 3078, the HR 3078 Introduced - Pipeline and LNG Facility Cybersecurity Preparedness Act. The bill would give the Department of Energy primary responsibility for physical and cybersecurity of pipelines and liquified natural gas facilities.

NOTE: This analysis of HR 3078 is based upon a Committee Print of the bill being used during today’s markup hearing by the House Energy and Commerce Committee. The Government Printing Office has not yet published the official version of the bill.

Moving Forward

Upton is a senior member of the Energy and Commerce Committee and the bill is cosponsored by eighteen Republicans and Democrats, including the Chair {Rep Pallone (D,NJ)} and the Ranking Member {Rep McMorris (R,WA)}. This explains why the bill is moving forward with a markup hearing so quickly.

The bill has wide bipartisan support within the Committee and will have no problem passing in today’s hearing. The problem is going to be moving this bill forward to the floor of the House. Since this bill gives new authority to DOE over pipelines it also provides the Energy and Commerce Committee with new oversight responsibility as well. As I noted in my commentary on the introduction of HR 3243, this is going to put the Committee in direct conflict with the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as who will be top dog in keeping pipeline security under control.

Until that conflict is resolved, neither of these bills will be able to move to the floor of the House for consideration.

For a more detailed analysis of the bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-3078-introduced Subscription Required.