IIB 
116TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5760 
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 
SEPTEMBER 30 (legislative day, SEPTEMBER 29), 2020 
Received; read twice and referred to the Committee on Energy and Natural 
Resources 
AN ACT 
To provide for a comprehensive interdisciplinary research, 
development, and demonstration initiative to strengthen 
the capacity of the energy sector to prepare for and 
withstand cyber and physical attacks, and for other pur-
poses. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Grid Security Research 
and Development Act’’. 
SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 
Congress finds the following: 
(1) The Nation, and every critical infrastruc-
ture sector, depends on reliable electricity. 
(2) Intelligent electronic devices, advanced ana-
lytics, and information systems used across the en-
ergy sector are essential to maintaining reliable op-
eration of the electric grid. 
(3) The cybersecurity threat landscape is con-
stantly changing and attacker capabilities are ad-
vancing rapidly, requiring ongoing modifications, ad-
vancements, and investments in technologies and 
procedures to maintain security. 
(4) It is in the national interest for Federal 
agencies to invest in cybersecurity research that in-
forms and facilitates private sector investment and 
use of advanced cybersecurity tools and procedures 
to protect information systems. 
(5) The number of devices and systems con-
necting to the electric grid is increasing, and inte-
grating cybersecurity protections into information 
systems when they are built is more effective than 
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modifying products after installation to meet 
cybersecurity goals. 
(6) An understanding of human factors can be 
leveraged to understand the behavior of cyber threat 
actors, develop strategies to counter threat actors, 
improve cybersecurity training programs, optimize 
the design of human-machine interfaces and cyberse-
curity tools, and increase the capacity of the energy 
sector workforce to prevent unauthorized access to 
critical systems. 
SEC. 3. AMENDMENT TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SE-
CURITY ACT OF 2007. 
Title XIII of the Energy Independence and Security 
Act of 2007 (42 U.S.C. 17381 et seq.) is amended by add-
ing at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 1310. ENERGY SECTOR SECURITY RESEARCH, DEVEL-
OPMENT, AND DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 
with appropriate Federal agencies, the Electricity Sub-
sector Coordinating Council, the Electric Reliability Orga-
nization, State, tribal, local, and territorial governments, 
the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders, shall 
carry out a research, development, and demonstration pro-
gram to protect the electric grid and energy systems, in-
cluding assets connected to the distribution grid, from 
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cyber and physical attacks by increasing the cyber and 
physical security capabilities of the energy sector and ac-
celerating the development of relevant technologies and 
tools. 
‘‘(b) DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY.—As part of the ini-
tiative described in subsection (a), the Secretary shall 
award research, development, and demonstration grants 
to— 
‘‘(1) identify cybersecurity risks to information 
systems within, and impacting, the electricity sector, 
energy systems, and energy infrastructure; 
‘‘(2) develop methods and tools to rapidly detect 
cyber intrusions and cyber incidents, including 
through the use of data and big data analytics tech-
niques, such as intrusion detection, and security in-
formation and event management systems, to vali-
date and verify system behavior; 
‘‘(3) assess emerging cybersecurity capabilities 
that could be applied to energy systems and develop 
technologies that integrate cybersecurity features 
and procedures into the design and development of 
existing and emerging grid technologies, including 
renewable energy, storage, and demand-side manage-
ment technologies; 
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‘‘(4) identify existing vulnerabilities in intel-
ligent electronic devices, advanced analytics systems, 
and information systems; 
‘‘(5) work with relevant entities to develop tech-
nologies 
or 
concepts 
that 
build 
or 
retrofit 
cybersecurity features and procedures into— 
‘‘(A) information and energy management 
system devices, components, software, firmware, 
and hardware, including distributed control and 
management systems, and building manage-
ment systems; 
‘‘(B) data storage systems, data manage-
ment systems, and data analysis processes; 
‘‘(C) automated- and manually-controlled 
devices and equipment for monitoring and sta-
bilizing the electric grid; 
‘‘(D) technologies used to synchronize time 
and develop guidance for operational contin-
gency plans when time synchronization tech-
nologies, are compromised; 
‘‘(E) power system delivery and end user 
systems and devices that connect to the grid, 
including— 
‘‘(i) 
meters, 
phasor 
measurement 
units, and other sensors; 
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‘‘(8) evaluate and understand the potential con-
sequences of practices used to maintain the 
cybersecurity of information systems and intelligent 
electronic devices; 
‘‘(9) develop or expand the capabilities of exist-
ing cybersecurity test beds to simulate impacts of 
cyber attacks and combined cyber-physical attacks 
on information systems and electronic devices, in-
cluding by increasing access to existing and emerg-
ing test beds for cooperative utilities, utilities owned 
by a political subdivision of a State, such as munici-
pally-owned electric utilities, and other relevant 
stakeholders; and 
‘‘(10) develop technologies that reduce the cost 
of implementing effective cybersecurity technologies 
and tools, including updates to these technologies 
and tools, in the energy sector. 
‘‘(c) NATIONAL SCIENCE FOUNDATION.—The Na-
tional Science Foundation, in coordination with other Fed-
eral agencies as appropriate, shall through its cybersecu-
rity research and development programs— 
‘‘(1) support basic research to advance knowl-
edge, 
applications, 
technologies, 
and 
tools 
to 
strengthen the cybersecurity of information systems, 
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including electric grid and energy systems, including 
interdisciplinary research in— 
‘‘(A) evolutionary systems, theories, mathe-
matics, and models; 
‘‘(B) economic and financial theories, 
mathematics, and models; and 
‘‘(C) big data analytical methods, mathe-
matics, computer coding, and algorithms; and 
‘‘(2) support cybersecurity education and train-
ing focused on information systems for the electric 
grid and energy workforce, including through the 
Advanced Technological Education program, the 
Cybercorps program, graduate research fellowships, 
and other appropriate programs. 
‘‘(d) 
DEPARTMENT
OF
HOMELAND
SECURITY 
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY DIRECTORATE.—The Science 
and Technology Directorate of the Department of Home-
land Security shall coordinate with the Department of En-
ergy, the private sector, and other relevant stakeholders, 
to research existing cybersecurity technologies and tools 
used in the defense industry in order to— 
‘‘(1) identify technologies and tools that may 
meet civilian energy sector cybersecurity needs; 
‘‘(2) develop a research strategy that incor-
porates human factors research findings to guide the 
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modification of defense industry cybersecurity tools 
for use in the civilian sector; 
‘‘(3) develop a strategy to accelerate efforts to 
bring modified defense industry cybersecurity tools 
to the civilian market; and 
‘‘(4) carry out other activities the Secretary of 
Homeland Security considers appropriate to meet 
the goals of this subsection. 
‘‘SEC. 1311. GRID RESILIENCE AND EMERGENCY RESPONSE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the enactment of the Grid Security Research and Develop-
ment Act, the Secretary shall establish a research, devel-
opment, and demonstration program to enhance resilience 
and strengthen emergency response and management per-
taining to the energy sector. 
‘‘(b) GRANTS.—The Secretary shall award grants to 
eligible entities under subsection (c) on a competitive basis 
to conduct research and development with the purpose of 
improving the resilience and reliability of electric grid by— 
‘‘(1) developing methods to improve community 
and governmental preparation for and emergency re-
sponse to large-area, long-duration electricity inter-
ruptions, including through the use of energy effi-
ciency, storage, and distributed generation tech-
nologies; 
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‘‘(2) developing tools to help utilities and com-
munities ensure the continuous delivery of electricity 
to critical facilities; 
‘‘(3) developing tools to improve coordination 
between utilities and relevant Federal agencies to 
enable communication, information-sharing, and sit-
uational awareness in the event of a physical or 
cyber-attack on the electric grid; 
‘‘(4) developing technologies and capabilities to 
withstand and address the current and projected im-
pact of the changing climate on energy sector infra-
structure, including extreme weather events and 
other natural disasters; 
‘‘(5) developing technologies capable of early 
detection of malfunctioning electrical equipment on 
the transmission and distribution grid, including de-
tection of spark ignition causing wildfires and risks 
of vegetation contact; 
‘‘(6) assessing upgrades and additions needed 
to energy sector infrastructure due to projected 
changes in the energy generation mix and energy de-
mand; and 
‘‘(7) upgrading tools used to estimate the costs 
of outages longer than 24 hours. 
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‘‘(8) developing tools and technologies to assist 
with the planning, safe execution of, and safe and 
timely restoration of power after emergency power 
shut offs, such as those conducted to reduce risks of 
wildfires started by grid infrastructure. 
‘‘(c) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The entities eligible to re-
ceive grants under this section include— 
‘‘(1) an institution of higher education; 
‘‘(2) a nonprofit organization; 
‘‘(3) a National Laboratory; 
‘‘(4) a unit of State, local, or tribal government; 
‘‘(5) an electric utility or electric cooperative; 
‘‘(6) a retail service provider of electricity; 
‘‘(7) a private commercial entity; 
‘‘(8) a partnership or consortium of 2 or more 
entities described in subparagraphs (1) through (7); 
and 
‘‘(9) any other entities the Secretary deems ap-
propriate. 
‘‘(d) RELEVANT ACTIVITIES.—Grants awarded under 
subsection (b) shall include funding for research and de-
velopment activities related to the purpose described in 
subsection (b), such as— 
‘‘(1) development of technologies to use distrib-
uted energy resources, such as solar photovoltaics, 
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‘‘(e) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall provide 
technical assistance to eligible entities for the com-
mercial application of technologies to improve the re-
silience of the electric grid and commercial applica-
tion of technologies to help entities develop plans for 
preventing and recovering from various power out-
age scenarios at the local, regional, and State level. 
‘‘(2) TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM.—The 
commercial application technical assistance program 
established in paragraph (1) shall include assistance 
to eligible entities for— 
‘‘(A) the commercial application of tech-
nologies developed from the grant program es-
tablished in subsection (b), including coopera-
tive utilities and utilities owned by a political 
subdivision of a State, such as municipally- 
owned electric utilities; 
‘‘(B) the development of methods to 
strengthen or otherwise mitigate adverse im-
pacts on electric grid infrastructure against 
natural hazards; 
‘‘(C) the use of Department data and mod-
eling tools for various purposes; 
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‘‘(D) a resource assessment and analysis of 
future demand and distribution requirements, 
including development of advanced grid archi-
tectures and risk analysis; and 
‘‘(E) the development of tools and tech-
nologies to coordinate data across relevant enti-
ties to promote resilience and wildfire preven-
tion in the planning, design, construction, oper-
ation, and maintenance of transmission infra-
structure; 
‘‘(F) analysis to predict the likelihood of 
extreme weather events to inform the planning, 
design, construction, operation, and mainte-
nance of transmission infrastructure in con-
sultation with the National Oceanic and Atmos-
pheric Administration; and 
‘‘(G) the commercial application of rel-
evant technologies, such as distributed energy 
resources, microgrids, or other energy tech-
nologies, to establish backup power for users or 
facilities affected by emergency power shutoffs. 
‘‘(3) ELIGIBLE ENTITIES.—The entities eligible 
to receive technical assistance for commercial appli-
cation of technologies under this section include— 
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‘‘(A) representatives of all sectors of the 
electric power industry, including electric utili-
ties, trade organizations, and transmission and 
distribution system organizations, owners, and 
operators; 
‘‘(B) State and local governments and reg-
ulatory authorities, including public utility com-
missions; 
‘‘(C) tribal and Alaska Native govern-
mental entities; 
‘‘(D) partnerships among entities under 
subparagraphs (A) through (C); 
‘‘(E) regional partnerships; and 
‘‘(F) any other entities the Secretary 
deems appropriate. 
‘‘(4) AUTHORITY.—Nothing in this section shall 
authorize the Secretary to require any entity to 
adopt any model, tool, technology, plan, analysis, or 
assessment. 
‘‘SEC. 1312. BEST PRACTICES AND GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS 
FOR ENERGY SECTOR CYBERSECURITY RE-
SEARCH. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in coordination 
with appropriate Federal agencies, the Electricity Sub-
sector Coordinating Council, standards development orga-
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nizations, State, tribal, local, and territorial governments, 
the private sector, public utility commissions, and other 
relevant stakeholders, shall coordinate the development of 
guidance documents for research, development, and dem-
onstration activities to improve the cybersecurity capabili-
ties of the energy sector through participating agencies. 
As part of these activities, the Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) facilitate stakeholder involvement to up-
date— 
‘‘(A) the Roadmap to Achieve Energy De-
livery Systems Cybersecurity; 
‘‘(B) the Cybersecurity Procurement Lan-
guage for Energy Delivery Systems, including 
developing guidance for— 
‘‘(i) contracting with third parties to 
conduct vulnerability testing for informa-
tion systems used across the energy pro-
duction, delivery, storage, and end use sys-
tems; 
‘‘(ii) contracting with third parties 
that utilize transient devices to access in-
formation systems; and 
‘‘(iii) managing supply chain risks; 
and 
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‘‘(C) the Electricity Subsector Cybersecu-
rity Capability Maturity Model, including the 
development of metrics to measure changes in 
cybersecurity readiness; and 
‘‘(2) develop voluntary guidance to improve dig-
ital forensic analysis capabilities, including— 
‘‘(A) developing standardized terminology 
and monitoring processes; and 
‘‘(B) utilizing human factors research to 
develop more effective procedures for logging 
incident events; and 
‘‘(3) work with the National Science Founda-
tion, Department of Homeland Security, and stake-
holders to develop a mechanism to anonymize, ag-
gregate, and share the testing results from cyberse-
curity test beds to facilitate technology improve-
ments by public and private sector researchers. 
‘‘(b) BEST PRACTICES.—The Secretary, in collabora-
tion with the Director of the National Institute of Stand-
ards and Technology and other appropriate Federal agen-
cies, shall convene relevant stakeholders and facilitate the 
development of— 
‘‘(1) consensus-based best practices to improve 
cybersecurity for— 
‘‘(A) emerging energy technologies; 
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‘‘(B) distributed generation and storage 
technologies, and other distributed energy re-
sources; 
‘‘(C) electric vehicles and electric vehicle 
charging stations; and 
‘‘(D) other technologies and devices that 
connect to the electric grid; 
‘‘(2) recommended cybersecurity designs and 
technical requirements that can be used by the pri-
vate sector to design and build interoperable cyber-
security features into technologies that connect to 
the electric grid, including networked devices and 
components on distribution systems; and 
‘‘(3) technical analysis that can be used by the 
private sector in developing best practices for test 
beds and test bed methodologies that will enable re-
producible testing of cybersecurity protections for in-
formation systems, electronic devices, and other rel-
evant components, software, and hardware across 
test beds. 
‘‘(c) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—None of the activi-
ties authorized in this section shall be construed to author-
ize regulatory actions. Additionally, the voluntary stand-
ards developed under this section shall not duplicate or 
conflict with mandatory reliability standards. 
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‘‘SEC. 1313. VULNERABILITY TESTING AND TECHNICAL AS-
SISTANCE TO IMPROVE CYBERSECURITY. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 
‘‘(1) coordinate with energy sector asset owners 
and operators, leveraging the research facilities and 
expertise of the National Laboratories, to assist enti-
ties in developing testing capabilities by— 
‘‘(A) utilizing a range of methods to iden-
tify vulnerabilities in physical and cyber sys-
tems; 
‘‘(B) developing cybersecurity risk assess-
ment tools and providing analyses and rec-
ommendations to participating stakeholders; 
and 
‘‘(C) working with stakeholders to develop 
methods to share anonymized and aggregated 
test results to assist relevant stakeholders in 
the energy sector, researchers, and the private 
sector to advance cybersecurity efforts, tech-
nologies, and tools; 
‘‘(2) collaborate with relevant stakeholders, in-
cluding public utility commissions, to— 
‘‘(A) identify information, research, staff 
training, and analytical tools needed to evaluate 
cybersecurity issues and challenges in the en-
ergy sector; and 
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‘‘(B) facilitate the sharing of information 
and the development of tools identified under 
subparagraph (A); 
‘‘(3) collaborate with tribal governments to 
identify information, research, and analysis tools 
needed by tribal governments to increase the cyber-
security of energy assets within their jurisdiction. 
‘‘SEC. 1314. EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE TRAINING RE-
SEARCH AND STANDARDS. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall support the 
development of a cybersecurity workforce through a pro-
gram that— 
‘‘(1) facilitates collaboration between under-
graduate and graduate students, researchers at the 
National Laboratories, and the private sector; 
‘‘(2) prioritizes science and technology in areas 
relevant to the mission of the Department of Energy 
through the design and application of cybersecurity 
technologies; 
‘‘(3) develops, or facilitates private sector devel-
opment of, voluntary cybersecurity training and re-
training standards, lessons, and recommendations 
for the energy sector that minimize duplication of 
cybersecurity compliance training programs; and 
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‘‘(4) 
maintains 
a 
public 
database 
of 
cybersecurity education, training, and certification 
programs. 
‘‘(b) GRID RESILIENCE TECHNOLOGY TRAINING.— 
The Secretary shall support the development of the grid 
workforce through a training program that prioritizes ac-
tivities that enhance the resilience of the electric grid and 
energy sector infrastructure, including training on the use 
of tools, technologies, and methods developed under the 
grant program established in section 1311(b). 
‘‘(c) COLLABORATION.—In carrying out the program 
authorized in subsection (a) and (b), the Secretary shall 
leverage programs and activities carried out across the De-
partment of Energy, other relevant Federal agencies, in-
stitutions of higher education, and other appropriate enti-
ties best suited to provide national leadership on cyberse-
curity and grid resilience-related issues. 
‘‘SEC. 1315. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION AND STRATEGIC 
PLAN FOR ENERGY SECTOR CYBERSECURITY 
RESEARCH. 
‘‘(a) DUTIES.—The Secretary, in coordination with 
the Energy Sector Government Coordinating Council, 
shall— 
‘‘(1) review the most recent versions of the 
Roadmap to Achieve Energy Delivery Systems 
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Cybersecurity and the Multi-Year Program Plan for 
Energy Sector Cybersecurity to identify crosscutting 
energy sector cybersecurity research needs and op-
portunities for collaboration among Federal agencies 
and other relevant stakeholders; 
‘‘(2) identify interdisciplinary research, tech-
nology, and tools that can be applied to cybersecu-
rity challenges in the energy sector; 
‘‘(3) identify technology transfer opportunities 
to accelerate the development and commercial appli-
cation of novel cybersecurity technologies, systems, 
and processes in the energy sector; and 
‘‘(4) develop a coordinated Interagency Stra-
tegic Plan for research to advance cybersecurity ca-
pabilities used in the energy sector that builds on 
the Roadmap to Achieve Energy Delivery Systems in 
Cybersecurity and the Multi-Year Program Plan for 
Energy Sector Cybersecurity. 
‘‘(b) INTERAGENCY STRATEGIC PLAN.— 
‘‘(1) SUBMITTAL.—The Interagency Strategic 
Plan developed under subsection (a)(4) shall be sub-
mitted to Congress and made public within 12 
months after the date of enactment of the Grid Se-
curity Research and Development Act. 
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‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—The Interagency Strategic 
Plan shall include— 
‘‘(A) 
an 
analysis 
of 
how 
existing 
cybersecurity research efforts across the Fed-
eral Government are advancing the goals of the 
Roadmap to Achieve Energy Delivery Systems 
Cybersecurity and the Multi-Year Program 
Plan for Energy Sector Cybersecurity; 
‘‘(B) recommendations for research areas 
that may advance the cybersecurity of the en-
ergy sector; 
‘‘(C) an overview of existing and proposed 
public and private sector research efforts that 
address the topics outlined in paragraph (3); 
and 
‘‘(D) an overview of needed support for 
workforce training in cybersecurity for the en-
ergy sector. 
‘‘(3) 
CONSIDERATIONS.—In 
developing 
the 
Interagency Strategic Plan, the Secretary, in coordi-
nation with the Energy Sector Government Coordi-
nating Council, shall consider— 
‘‘(A) opportunities for human factors re-
search to improve the design and effectiveness 
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of cybersecurity devices, technologies, tools, 
processes, and training programs; 
‘‘(B) contributions of other disciplines to 
the development of innovative cybersecurity pro-
cedures, devices, components, technologies, and 
tools; 
‘‘(C) opportunities for technology transfer 
programs to facilitate private sector develop-
ment of cybersecurity procedures, devices, com-
ponents, technologies, and tools for the energy 
sector; 
‘‘(D) broader applications of the work done 
by relevant Federal agencies to advance the 
cybersecurity of information systems and data 
analytics systems for the energy sector; and 
‘‘(E) activities called for in the Federal 
cybersecurity research and development stra-
tegic plan required by section 201(a)(1) of the 
Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2014 (15 
U.S.C. 7431(a)(1)). 
‘‘(c) PARTICIPATION.—For the purposes of carrying 
out this section, the Energy Sector Government Coordi-
nating Council shall include representatives from Federal 
agencies with expertise in the energy sector, information 
systems, data analytics, cyber and physical systems, engi-
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neering, human factors research, human-machine inter-
faces, high performance computing, big data and data 
analytics, or other disciplines considered appropriate by 
the Council Chair. 
‘‘SEC. 1316. REPORT TO CONGRESS. 
‘‘(a) BALANCING RISKS, INCREASING SECURITY, AND 
IMPROVING MODERNIZATION.— 
‘‘(1) STUDY.—The Secretary, in collaboration 
with the National Institute of Standards and Tech-
nology, other Federal agencies, and energy sector 
stakeholders, in order to provide recommendations 
for additional research, development, demonstration, 
and commercial application activities, shall— 
‘‘(A) analyze physical and cyber attacks on 
energy sector infrastructure and information 
systems and identify cost-effective opportunities 
to improve physical and cyber security; and 
‘‘(B) examine the risks associated with in-
creasing penetration of digital technologies in 
grid networks, particularly on the distribution 
grid. 
‘‘(2) CONTENT.—The study shall— 
‘‘(A) analyze processes, operational proce-
dures, and other factors common among cyber 
attacks; 
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‘‘(B) identify areas where human behavior 
plays a critical role in maintaining or compro-
mising the security of a system; 
‘‘(C) recommend— 
‘‘(i) changes to the design of devices, 
human-machine interfaces, technologies, 
tools, processes, or procedures to optimize 
security that do not require a change in 
human behavior; and 
‘‘(ii) training techniques to increase 
the capacity of employees to actively iden-
tify, prevent, or neutralize the impact of 
cyber attacks; 
‘‘(D) evaluate existing engineering and 
technical design criteria and guidelines that in-
corporate human factors research findings, and 
recommend criteria and guidelines for cyberse-
curity tools that can be used to develop display 
systems for cybersecurity monitoring, such as 
alarms, user-friendly displays, and layouts; 
‘‘(E) evaluate the cybersecurity risks and 
benefits of various design and architecture op-
tions for energy sector systems, networked grid 
systems and components, and automation sys-
tems, including consideration of— 
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‘‘(i) designs that include both digital 
and analog control devices and tech-
nologies; 
‘‘(ii) different communication tech-
nologies used to transfer information and 
data between control system devices, tech-
nologies, and system operators; 
‘‘(iii) automated and human-in-the- 
loop devices and technologies; 
‘‘(iv) 
programmable 
versus 
non-
programmable devices and technologies; 
‘‘(v) increased redundancy using dis-
similar cybersecurity technologies; and 
‘‘(vi) grid architectures that use au-
tonomous 
functions 
to 
limit 
control 
vulnerabilities; and 
‘‘(F) recommend methods or metrics to 
document changes in risks associated with sys-
tem designs and architectures. 
‘‘(3) CONSULTATION.—In conducting the study, 
the Secretary shall consult with energy sector stake-
holders, academic researchers, the private sector, 
and other relevant stakeholders. 
‘‘(4) REPORT.—Not later than 24 months after 
the date of enactment of the Grid Security Research 
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and Development Act, the Secretary shall submit the 
study to the Committee on Science, Space, and 
Technology of the House of Representatives and the 
Committee on Energy and Natural Resources of the 
Senate. 
‘‘SEC. 1317. DEFINITIONS. 
‘‘In this title: 
‘‘(1) BIG DATA.—The term ‘big data’ means 
datasets that require advanced analytical methods 
for their transformation into useful information. 
‘‘(2) CYBERSECURITY.—The term ‘cybersecu-
rity’ means protecting an information system or in-
formation that is stored on, processed by, or 
transiting an information system from a cybersecu-
rity threat or security vulnerability. 
‘‘(3) 
CYBERSECURITY
THREAT.—The 
term 
‘cybersecurity threat’ has the meaning given the 
term in section 102 of the Cybersecurity Information 
Sharing Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. 1501). 
‘‘(4) ELECTRICITY SUBSECTOR COORDINATING 
COUNCIL.—The term ‘Electricity Subsector Coordi-
nating Council’ means the self-organized, self-gov-
erned council consisting of senior industry represent-
atives to serve as the principal liaison between the 
Federal Government and the electric power sector 
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and to carry out the role of the Sector Coordinating 
Council as established in the National Infrastructure 
Protection Plan for the electricity subsector. 
‘‘(5) ENERGY
SECTOR
GOVERNMENT
COORDI-
NATING COUNCIL.—The term ‘Energy Sector Gov-
ernment Coordinating Council’ means the council 
consisting of representatives from relevant Federal 
Government agencies to provide effective coordina-
tion of energy sector efforts to ensure a secure, reli-
able, and resilient energy infrastructure and to carry 
out the role of the Government Coordinating Council 
as established in the National Infrastructure Protec-
tion Plan for the energy sector. 
‘‘(6) HUMAN FACTORS RESEARCH.—The term 
‘human factors research’ means research on human 
performance in social and physical environments, 
and on the integration and interaction of humans 
with physical systems and computer hardware and 
software. 
‘‘(7) HUMAN-MACHINE INTERFACES.—The term 
‘human-machine interfaces’ means technologies that 
present information to an operator or user about the 
state of a process or system, or accept human in-
structions to implement an action, including visual-
ization displays such as a graphical user interface. 
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