Sen. Marshall: America’s Energy Infrastructure Must be Safe, Secure, and Resilient

(Washington, D.C., July 8, 2021) – Today, U.S. Senator Roger Marshall, M.D. joined his colleagues in announcing the introduction of the Protect American Power Infrastructure Act to prohibit bulk-power equipment that is owned by, operated or associated with a foreign adversary from providing power to our nation’s defense critical electric infrastructure.

“Our energy infrastructure must be safe, secure, and resilient to provide affordable power to the American people,” said Senator Marshall. “Leaving U.S. energy infrastructure exposed to potential threats from China and other foreign countries is unacceptable and presents a grave risk to our national security.”

Background:

Last year, President Trump issued an executive order to reduce the risks that entities associated with Communist China pose to the nation’s bulk-power system. The Protect American Power Infrastructure Act codifies important components of President Trump’s executive order after President Biden revoked it earlier this year.

The Protect American Power Infrastructure Act is being led by Senators Marshall, Rick Scott (FL), Marco Rubio (FL), and Tom Cotton (AR). The legislation would:

• Prohibit suppliers of power to American defense critical electric infrastructure from using equipment owned, controlled, operated or influenced by, or otherwise connected to, a foreign adversary.
• Provide the Secretary of Energy the authority to pre-approve energy vendors and equipment which are deemed secure.
• Require the Secretary of Energy to identify existing bulk-power systems, which pose an undue risk on the security or resiliency of the critical electric infrastructure in the United States, and to improve resiliency of those systems.
• Create a process within the federal government for sharing information about infrastructure vulnerabilities and management practices to improve procurement of secure energy equipment.

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