CRS Reports – Week of 2-24-23 – Grid Physical Security

This week the Congressional Research Service (CRS) published a report on “Electric Grid Physical Security: Recent Developments”. This is an update of the report originally reported on January 9^th, 2023. It adds a brief mention of the February 6^th arrest of “two individuals for planning to attack five electric power transmission substations around Baltimore, MD, allegedly as part of a “racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist” conspiracy.”

The new version adds a new, final sentence in the ‘Congressional Initiatives’ section of the report: “As CIP-014 implementation and other physical security initiatives proceed, Congress also may examine the power sector’s overall progress in securing its infrastructure, including organizational and structural changes supporting physical security as a corporate priority.” We can almost certainly expect congressional hearings in both the House and Senate on this topic.