Joint
Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing: Implications of Power
Blackouts
on America’s
Cyber Networks and Critical Infrastructure, Part II
BACKGROUND: This hearing will describe to Members the process used
by the Department of Homeland Security for coordinating the response
to a potentially catastrophic failure in our critical infrastructure
with other agencies -- in this case the Department of Energy --
and state and local officials. Witnesses will discuss how emergency
preparedness and response efforts are organized and responsibilities
shared. On September 4, 2003, Part I of this hearing exemplified
the interdependencies between different sectors of our country
and economy.
Understanding
these details is important for an after-action review of the
federal
government’s response to the recent power
outages, especially as our public-private partnership continues
to evolve. It is crucial that federal, state, and local governments
continue to work together to increase coordination and improve
information sharing, especially because each sector is becoming
more, not less, dependant upon the other for sustained operations
of their respective missions, whether it be for electricity or
financial transactions or continuity of government.
The power outages proved that one event could affect numerous
states and regions in an instant. The coordination between federal
and state agencies and between those agencies and the private sector
in emergency situations is vital to preserving homeland security.
Reviewing and ensuring such coordination, therefore, is a fundamental
homeland security objective.
Testimonies
Homeland Security: Wednesday, 17. September 2003
Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Science, and Research & Development
and Subcommittee on Infrastructure and Border Security
The Honorable
Robert Liscouski - September 17, 2003: Assistant Secretary
for Infrastructure Protection Acting Director, National Cyber
Security Division Department
of Homeland Security
Ms. Denise Swink - September 17, 2003: Acting Director of the
Office of Energy Assurance, Department of Energy
Colonel Michael McDaniel - September 17, 2003: Assistant Adjutant
General for Homeland Security, State of Michigan
Mr. Robert Dacey, Director of Information Security
Issues, General Accounting Office
Joint Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing: Implications
of Power Blackouts on America’s Cyber Networks and Critical
Infrastructure, Part I, September 4, 2003
Testimonies
Statement for the Record
of
Executive Assistant Director
Larry A. Mefford
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Mr. Paul H. Gilbert, former chair, National Council Panel on Energy
Facilities, Cities, and Fixed Infrastructure
Dr. Peter Orzag, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institute
Mr. John McCarthy, Executive Director, Critical Infrastructure
Protection Project, George Mason University
Mr. Karl Rauscher, Founder and President,
Wireless Emergency Response Team
Mr. Kenneth Watson, President, Partnership
for Critical Infrastructure Security
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