The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from
Kentucky (Mr. Guthrie) and the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Castor)
each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Kentucky.

                             General Leave

  Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks on the
legislation and to insert extraneous material on H.R. 7305.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from Kentucky?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may
consume.
  Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 7305, the Energy
Threat Analysis Center Act, sponsored by the gentlewoman from Florida
(Ms. Castor) and the gentleman from Colorado (Mr. Evans), my good
friends.
  The bill was reported favorably on a unanimous, bipartisan vote by
the Energy and Commerce Committee.
  The United States has one of the most complex energy systems in the
world, and those systems are essential for the health and welfare of
the public, our economy, and our security.
  Our adversaries know this, and they work persistently to identify and
exploit vulnerabilities in our critical energy infrastructure, creating
a looming threat few Americans may appreciate.
  We must take action to improve our ability to identify, analyze, and
share information about these threats to safeguard our systems and
mitigate risks and impacts.
  The Energy Threat Analysis Center, or ETAC, was established as a DOE
pilot program just a few years ago.
  The program convenes energy sector stakeholders and Federal
Government experts to more effectively identify and address the threats
to our critical infrastructure, especially those posed by our nation-
state adversaries.
  Identifying and mitigating threats will become even more urgent as
technology advances. The ETAC enables grid operators to see threats and
our intelligence community and Federal experts to better understand
system vulnerabilities, improving threat identification.
  H.R. 7305 reauthorizes ETAC for 5 years and clarifies authorities to
enhance collaboration between grid operators, utilities, and the
government, including the intelligence community.
  This is a critical operational program to strengthen the collective
defense, response, and resilience of our energy sector.
  Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support the bill, and I
reserve the balance of my time.
  Ms. CASTOR of Florida. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
  I thank Chairman Guthrie and colleagues on both sides of the aisle
for moving forward H.R. 7305, the Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of
2026.
  I rise in support of my bipartisan bill with Representative Evans of
Colorado.
  Madam Speaker, as you know, across the country our energy
infrastructure is under attack from cybersecurity threats, and I think
anyone who is tuned into this debate this afternoon understands it is
very serious.
  Cyberattacks can cause significant disruptions to the reliable flow
of energy to American homes, businesses, and communities. Protecting
our energy infrastructure against these attacks is critical to keeping
the lights on, the air conditioning on where I am from, and lowering
energy costs for hardworking American families and businesses.

                              {time}  1640

  I know that Chairman Guthrie agrees with me on this. The U.S. energy
grid is remarkable. It is one of the largest, most interconnected
systems in the world. It serves over 330 million people, includes over
7,300 power plants, and spans over 600,000 miles of high-voltage
transmission lines. It underpins our economy. If it fails, it cascades
into failures in multiple other sectors, like healthcare, water,
transportation, and communications.
  Unfortunately, our energy system and our grid are also very old.
About half of U.S. oil and gas pipelines are over 50 years old, and
most transmission lines are well over 25 years old. They were not
designed with modern technology and security in mind.
  These dangers are not hypothetical. In 2024, U.S. intelligence
agencies reported that China had successfully infiltrated and pre-
positioned on U.S. critical infrastructure, including our energy
systems.
  The North American Electric Reliability Corporation estimates that
the U.S. grid is gaining about 60 new vulnerable points per day as we
use more digital services, deploy new software, and expand distributed
energy.
  Eighty percent of U.S. energy infrastructure is owned by the private
sector, so we need to make sure that they are working with the Federal
Government and our intelligence community to confront the risks.
  Fortunately, we have taken action to address these challenges. In
2023, the Department of Energy launched the Energy Threat Analysis
Center. We call it ETAC. ETAC brings together the classified
intelligence community with private energy sector operational
professionals in real time. It produces sector-specific threat analysis
and mitigation advisories.
  This is the type of commonsense, bipartisan cooperation that we
should all celebrate. My bill today with Representative Evans
strengthens the Department of Energy's ability under ETAC to use
information exchanges and facilitate greater public-private
collaboration. It helps secure our critical infrastructure, keeps us
safe from threats, and lowers energy costs for our neighbors back home.
  Madam Speaker, I urge everyone to vote in favor of this bipartisan
bill, and I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. GUTHRIE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Madam Speaker, I thank everyone for their hard work on this bill, and
I thank Ms. Castor for her comments about our aging grid or aging
infrastructure. I know the big work of this committee going forward
through this summer and fall is making sure we have permit reform in
place so not only can we move the energy like we talked about with
pipelines and generation but transmitting it to where it needs to go. I
look forward to those efforts, and I will make that commitment on this
floor. I know we will work together to get there, but on this
particular piece of legislation, I thank Congresswoman Castor for her
hard work on the ETAC, along with Congressman Evans.
  Madam Speaker, I encourage my colleagues to vote ``yes'' on H.R.
7305, and I yield back the balance of my time.