On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 2:00 p.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold an oversight hearing titled “Hunting and Fishing Access in the Great American Outdoors.”
On Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 10:15 a.m., in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building, the Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, will hold a legislative hearing on the following bill:
H.R. 5745 (Rep. Ezell), “Marine Fisheries Habitat Protection Act”, to promote fish habitat through the enhancement of certain offshore oil and gas platforms and pipelines as artificial reefs, and for other purposes. The legislation would transfer all responsibilities and liabilities to the state if a decommissioned oil and gas platform or pipeline is acquired as an artificial reef.
The Subcommittee on Energy will hold a hearing on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 10:15
a.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “Protecting
America’s Energy Infrastructure in Today’s Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.” The hearing
will review the following legislation:
H.R. ____, Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026
Alex Fitzsimmons, Acting Undersecretary of Energy and Director of the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response, U.S. Department of Energy
Panel 2
Scott I. Aaronson, Senior Vice President, Energy Security and Industry Operations, Edison Electric Institute;
Adrienne Lotto, Senior Vice President of Grid Security, Technical and Operations Services, American Public Power Association;
Nathaniel J. Melby, Ph.D., Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Dairyland Power, on behalf of National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA)
Rebecca O’Neil, Research Principal, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Directorate, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Congress has provided the Department of Energy (DOE) with a range of emergency
response and cybersecurity authorities affecting multiple segments of the energy sector,
beginning with the Department of Energy Organization Act, and more recently with the Fixing
America’s Transportation Act (FAST Act). Enacted in 2015, the FAST Act designated DOE as
the Sector-Specific Agency, now termed Sector Risk Management Agency (SRMA), for
cybersecurity for the energy sector. The law also provided the Department with several
authorities to respond to threats to energy systems, including authority under the Federal Power
Act relating to grid security emergencies and critical defense electric infrastructure.
As the Energy SRMA, DOE coordinates with multiple Federal and State agencies and
collaborates with energy infrastructure owners and operators on activities associated with
identifying vulnerabilities and mitigating incidents that may impact the energy sector. To
perform these duties effectively, DOE must account for each interrelated segment of the nation’s
energy infrastructure, including pipelines, which are subject to an array of other Federal
authorities. In a January 24, 2018, letter, the Committee wrote to Secretary Perry to better
understand the level of coordination among governmental agencies. In response, Secretary
Perry noted that “a coordinated government approach to the cyber and physical security of
pipelines, led by the Department of Energy, is essential to ensuring the safe and reliable flow of
energy across the U.S.”
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) also has certain responsibilities
related to security for pipelines. The Aviation and Transportation Security Act of 2001, which
established the Transportation Security Administration within the Department of Transportation,
authorized the agency “to issue, rescind, and revise such regulations as are necessary” to carry
out its functions. TSA was transferred to the Department of Homeland Security, created under
the Homeland Security Act of 2002.13 The Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11
Commission Act of 2007 directs TSA, in consultation with the Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration, to promulgate pipeline security regulations and carry out
necessary inspection and enforcement if the agency determines that regulations are appropriate.
The CEO-led Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) serves as the
principal liaison between the Federal government and the electric power sector in coordinating
efforts to prepare for national-level incidents or threats to critical infrastructure. The
Cybersecurity Risk Information Sharing Program (CRISP) is a public-private partnership, funded
by DOE and industry. CRISP is managed by the Electricity Information Sharing and Analysis
Center (E-ISAC) and facilitates the timely bi-directional sharing of unclassified and classified
threat information with energy sector partners. The E-ISAC, which works with DOE and the
ESCC, is run by NERC and is operationally isolated from NERC’s enforcement processes.
Several cybersecurity initiatives have been enacted in recent years. The Infrastructure
Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), enacted several cybersecurity provisions, including the
Enhancing Grid Security through Public-Private Partnerships Act and the Cyber Sense Act
developed by Energy and Commerce Members. The IIJA provisions also authorized a program
that developed the Energy Threat Analysis Center (ETAC), a public-private partnership pilot that
convenes government and industry experts to analyze and advise on emerging threats, and the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity (RMUC) Grant and Technical Assistance
Program, to advance cybersecurity at electric cooperatives, non-profit municipal, and small
investor-owned utilities, both of which are addressed in the legislation under consideration.
H.R. ____, Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026
This legislation would reauthorize the DOE program authorized in section 40125(c) of
the IIJA,20 which established an Energy Threat Analysis Center. The legislation would
reauthorize the program through 2031. In addition, the legislation provides clarifying language
for carrying out the program, relating to collaboration and intelligence sharing between the
Federal government and the energy sector to strengthen collective defense, response, and
resilience.
H.R. ____, Energy Emergency Leadership Act
This legislation would amend the Department of Energy Organization Act21 to include
energy emergency and energy security among the functions that the Secretary of Energy shall
assign to an Assistant Secretary. The legislation provides that the functions assigned to an
Assistant Secretary under this amendment would include responsibilities with respect to energy
infrastructure, security and resilience, emerging threats, cybersecurity, supply and emergency
planning, coordination, response, and restoration and would include the provision of technical
assistance, support, and response capabilities with respect to energy security threats, risks, and
incidents to State, local, and Tribal governments and the energy sector. The legislation provides
that the Secretary of Energy shall ensure the functions under this amendment are performed in
coordination with relevant Federal agencies. (Substantially similar legislation passed the House
in the 116th, 117th, and 118th Congresses.)
H.R. ___, Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act
This legislation would reauthorize the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced
Cybersecurity (RMUC) Grant and Technical Assistance Program, authorized in section 40124 of
the IIJA, through October 31, 2030. The program provides technical and financial assistance to
eligible entities, which include rural electric cooperatives, municipally owned utilities, and small
investor-owned utilities, to protect and harden the systems against cyber threats and to increase
participation in cybersecurity threat information sharing programs. The legislation also amends
the underlying statute to streamline financial assistance application processes to ensure funding
is allocated to small and rural entities that need it most.
H.R.____, Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act
This legislation would amend requirements for State Energy Security Plans, authorized
by section 366 of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act, to consider threats to local
distribution alongside bulk-power systems, as well as supply chain and weather-related threats
and vulnerabilities. This bill also requires coordination with suppliers of manufactured
components and infrastructure in the electric grid to improve understanding of supply chain
risks. The bill would also clarify that the Department of Energy is not required to approve State
Energy Security Plans.
This legislation would require the Secretary of Energy, pursuant to the Secretary’s
statutory authorities, to carry out a program to coordinate Federal agencies, States, and the
energy sector to ensure the security, resiliency, and survivability of natural gas pipelines,
hazardous liquid pipelines, and liquefied natural gas (LNG) facilities. The program would
establish policies and procedures to coordinate analysis and information sharing; coordinate
responses to and recovery from physical and cyber incidents impacting the energy sector;
develop for voluntary use cybersecurity applications, technologies, and analytical tools; perform
pilot demonstration projects with the energy sector; and establish workforce development and
security curricula for such pipelines and LNG facilities. The legislation does not provide new
regulatory authority and further provides that it shall not be construed to modify the authority of
any other Federal agency other than DOE with respect to natural gas pipelines, hazardous liquid
pipelines, and LNG facilities. (Substantially similar legislation was reported favorably by the
Committee in the 115th, 116th, and 117th Congresses.)
For any questions regarding this hearing, please contact Mary Martin, Peter Spencer, or
Andrew Furman of the Committee Staff at (202) 225-3641.
This is a hearing of the Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation entitled “Drugs, Thugs, and Fish: Examining Coast Guard Law Enforcement Efforts.”
House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee
Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee
Subcommittee hearing entitled “From Orbit to Operations: How Weather Satellites Support the National Security Mission”.
Witnesses:
Irene Parker, Deputy Assistant Administrator for Systems, NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS)
Col. Bryan Mundhenk, Chief, Weather Operations Division, United States Air Force
Dr. Christopher Ekstrom, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (N2N6); Deputy Director, Oceanography & Navigation, United States Navy
Please join Gary Kohlman, Dani Hupper, Michael Greenburg, and Saul Levin on Monday, January 12th at 6:30 PM for a fundraiser for William Lawrence for Michigan’s 7th Congressional District in Dupont Circle, DC.
William Lawrence has been at the forefront of progressive social movements for the last 15 years. He is co-founder of the Sunrise Movement and an architect of the Green New Deal. Will is running in a critical swing district that will decide which party controls Congress next November.
Will is running to show that an anti-war, working class-focused, people-powered political movement can win anywhere, including a tough district in a Midwestern battleground state.
The Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Wildlife and Fisheries will hold an oversight hearing titled “Fix
Our Forests for Affordable and Reliable Water and Power Supplies” on Thursday, January 8,
2026, at 10:00 a.m. in room 1324 Longworth House Office Building.
The Subcommittee on Energy has scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, January 7, 2026,
at 10:15 a.m. (ET) in 2123 Rayburn House Office Building. The hearing is entitled, “American
Energy Dominance: Dawn of the New Nuclear Era.” The hearing will examine developments in
the nuclear industry relating to licensing, deployment, implementation of recently enacted
federal laws, and administration policies to facilitate the expansion of nuclear energy resources
to meet the nation’s urgent energy and security demands.
Maria Korsnick, President and CEO, Nuclear Energy Institute
John Williams, Senior V.P., Technical Services & External Affairs, Southern Company
John Wagner, PhD, Director, Idaho National Laboratory
Judi Greenwald, President and CEO, Nuclear Innovation Alliance
Korsnick:
“Targeted government-sponsored tools to protect consumers, taxpayers, and investors are
needed to manage early-project cost and schedule risk, unlock private capital, and enable
repeatable deployment at scale.”
Williams:
“Mitigate ‘tail risk’ and create a federal program that provides cost sharing over a certain threshold of additional, unanticipated construction costs. The Accelerating Reliable Capacity Act of 2024, proposed by Senator Risch, is
a good example of this concept. Potential legislative consideration: Amend IRS limitations on transferability of tax credits.
Specifically, amend the tax code to eliminate the Section 6418(g)(4) Tax Credit Transfer Restriction to provide “early movers” with more cash flow during construction to mitigate the risk of credit downgrades and the ability to monetize credits based on qualified progress expenditures.”
Wagner: “We must reclaim nuclear leadership to project American values and standards globally.”
Greenwald:
“NRC’s rulemaking independence is clearly in the national interest because it provides nuclear energy — which has enormously important security, environmental, and energy reliability benefits — with the social license to operate.”
On Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at 10:00 AM ET, the Committee on Small Business (the
Committee) will hold a hearing titled “A Voice for Small Business: How the SBA Office of
Advocacy is Cutting Red Tape.” The meeting will convene in room 2360 of the Rayburn House
Office Building. The purpose of this hearing is to discuss the U.S. Small Business Administration
(SBA) Office of Advocacy’s (Advocacy) mission, its role in ensuring federal agency compliance
with the Regulatory Flexibility Act (RFA), and the importance of regulatory reform to support
small businesses.