Pinehurst Today

Pinehurst, NC - U.S. Representative Richard Hudson (R-NC) and members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a field hearing on June 16 in Moore County to address enhancing America’s grid security and reliability.

Watch the field hearing.

“Everyone needs to know the full impact of this kind of attack and the urgent need to address vulnerabilities this exposes in our grid,” said Rep. Hudson. “I want to thank our local law enforcement for continuing to follow tips and leads to determine who is responsible for December’s attack. I can guarantee when we head back to Washington, our critical energy transmission infrastructure and what vulnerabilities exist will be at the forefront of our conversations.”

Rep. Hudson was joined by fellow Energy and Commerce Committee members Reps. Jeff Duncan, Morgan Griffith, Gary Palmer, Rick Allen, Larry Buschon, Randy Weber, Bob Latta, and Debbie Lesko.

At June 16 hearing, the members discussed physical and cybersecurity issues facing the electricity sector, power outage incident response and recovery, and emergency coordination among State and local governments and the electric industry. 

The witnesses who delivered testimonies and answered questions from members included: 

• William Ray, Director and Deputy Homeland Security Advisor, Division of Emergency Management, North Carolina Department of Public Safety
• Mark Aysta, Managing Director, Enterprise Security, Duke Energy
• Tim Ponseti, Vice President, Operations, SERC Reliability Corporation
• Jordan Kern, Assistant Professor, North Carolina State University, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering

Prior to June 16 field hearing, Rep. Hudson and Energy and Commerce committee members toured the Duke Energy West End substation, one of two substations in Moore County that was intentionally attacked on the evening of December 3rd that left 45,000 residents without power for several days. 

Below are Rep. Hudson’s remarks as prepared for delivery: 

THE DEVASTATING EFFECTS OF A GRID ATTACK 

“Welcome to Moore County! It is great to welcome my colleagues to my home here in the beautiful Sandhills.

“I want to thank Chairman Jeff Duncan, our witnesses, and my colleagues for traveling to North Carolina, taking time to see the location of our grid attack, understanding it’s sophistication, and contributing to this important discussion on how we can learn from what happened here about the vulnerability of our energy grid.

“There’s a number of VIPs in the audience.

“I have to single out our sheriff, Ronnie Fields, for your incredible leadership, and in particular the way you stepped and you and your deputies for working with local law enforcement throughout this. Thank you, Sir, for the incredible job you do every single day. 

“Also, Senator Tom McInnis, thank you for your leadership on the state level in the State Senate.

“Neal Jackson, our representative, and Ben Moss, they’ve been working on really important legislation. In fact, I think the governor today is signing legislation that you all worked on to increase penalties for attacks like this. I think that’s really important.

“Earlier this morning, we toured the Duke Energy West End substation, one of two substations in Moore County that was intentionally attacked on the evening of December 3rd, leaving my house and 45,000 of my neighbors without power for up to ten days 

“In the aftermath of the attack, our hospital was impacted, threatening medical treatments, schools were shutdown, businesses were affected, stoplights were dark, gas stations were closed, cell signal was impacted, and water couldn’t be heated.

“Our region suffered millions of dollars in damage—and just before the Christmas holiday.

“It really made the hundreds of pounds of room-temperature venison, elk, and duck in my freezer seem insignificant.

“An attack like this could have devastated our community, and we didn’t go without our struggles.”

MOORE COUNTY COMING TOGETHER

“But overall, I am so proud of our resilient response. In the days and weeks that followed, the people here truly showed the best of Moore County, the best of North Carolina, and the best of America.

“Community groups stepped in and ensured our vulnerable neighbors weren’t left without access to critical care and resources.

“Within hours, churches like the First Baptist Churches of Aberdeen and Pinehurst and the Yates Thagard Baptist Church offered shower, laundry, and meal services.

“Harris Teeter offered free ice for medicine and food. Staff and volunteers at the Boys and Girls Club of the Sandhills partnered with our Food Bank to prepare 800 two-day care packages.

“Our Fire and Rescue, Police Department, and library opened their doors for folks to access internet and charge devices.

“And all throughout, I am grateful for the tireless and heroic efforts of Duke Energy and local providers, including Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, Lee Electrical Construction, and Pike Electric who worked tirelessly to replace vital equipment needed to restore service, in addition to charitable contributions to organizations providing necessary resources to our community.

“It was inspiring to see everyone come together in our time of need and I want to reiterate my thanks to all those who assisted recovery efforts.

“I also want to thank our sheriff and local law enforcement for continuing to follow tips and leads to determine who is responsible for December’s attack.”

LISTENING AND ADVOCATING FOR SOLUTIONS

“I share your frustration that we still haven’t found those responsible.

“But in Washington, I have worked with the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence to coordinate classified member briefings from the FBI on their assessed threat to the grid.

“I will continue to push the FBI to make addressing these attacks a priority and make sure the appropriate information sharing occurs so we can hold those responsible accountable and make sure this never happens again.”

BRINGING WASHINGTON TO NORTH CAROLINA

“Since this attack occurred, I have been in listening mode.

“I have heard from constituents, grid operators, community developers, and business owners who have concerns with our grid’s security and resilience—all against the backdrop of historic energy costs. I share these concerns.

“That’s why, as I promised in the days following the attack, I have brought Washington to North Carolina today.

“I want to show my colleagues not just the numbers and facts of grid security and resilience, but the people personally affected and their experiences.

“Everyone needs to know the full impact of this kind of attack and the urgent need to address vulnerabilities this exposes in our grid.

“There are 45,000 stories of why Moore County—and our nation—need greater grid resilience.

“Now, we have the opportunity to hear from experts in the industry and those who call North Carolina home on the current state of our grid security, and how we move forward from these attacks.

“My colleagues and I welcome these testimonies to help do our jobs effectively.

“And I can guarantee when we head back to Washington, our critical energy transmission infrastructure and what vulnerabilities exist will be at the forefront of our conversations.

“So, I thank my colleagues and thank our witnesses for being here on June 16 and look forward to working together on this critical issue.”

To watch Rep. Hudson’s remarks, click here. 

Original source can be found here.