Electric Grid Security Still “a Work in Progress”
Threats to the U.S. electric power grid in recent years, including actual attacks on transmission substations, have prompted utilities and regulators to adopt various steps to enhance grid security. A new report from the Congressional Research Service reviews the observable changes in security practices to date and discusses the current threat environment. See NERC Standards for Bulk Power Physical Security: Is the Grid More Secure?, March 19, 2018.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
Bankruptcy Basics: A Primer, March 22, 2018
ATF’s Ability to Regulate “Bump Stocks”, CRS Legal Sidebar, March 22, 2018
Eight Mechanisms to Enact Procedural Change in the U.S. Senate, CRS Insight, March 20, 2018
Net Neutrality: Will the FTC Have Authority Over Broadband Service Providers?, CRS Legal Sidebar, March 20, 2018
Section 232 Steel and Aluminum Tariffs: Potential Economic Implications, CRS Insight, March 19, 2018
Unauthorized Childhood Arrivals: Legislative Activity in the 115th Congress, March 22, 2018
Turkey: Background and U.S. Relations in Brief, updated March 23, 2018
Iran’s Foreign and Defense Policies, updated March 20, 2018
It Belongs in a Museum: Sovereign Immunity Shields Iranian Antiquities Even When It Does Not Protect Iran, CRS Legal Sidebar, March 22, 2018
DNA synthesis and export controls remain the primary regulatory safeguards against de novo production of harmful biological agents, yet governance frameworks lack the situational awareness and enforcement capacity to keep pace with rapidly falling technical barriers.
Called today to speak on behalf of U.S. science and technology, Dr. Jedidah Isler, astrophysicist, educator, strategist, policy-maker, and science communicator, will provide constructive, nonpartisan feedback to the House Committee’s hearing “American Global Competitiveness at 250: Legislative Proposals to Secure U.S. Technology Leadership.”
“Federal data and access to it is not a partisan issue. It is a people issue. Our country cannot achieve greatness without access to the data that measure what we value, who we are, and where we’re heading.”
The United States’ biosecurity governance system is structurally incapable of detecting and responding to certain classes of threats. U.S. biosecurity tools have not kept pace with technological advancements or a changing threat landscape.