Information sharing law reauthorization prioritized by electric utilities

Utility Dive reports that the U.S. electric utility sector has designated the renewal of the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act of 2015 to be a key priority after the law, which promoted comprehensive industry-government information sharing, lapsed earlier this month.

"I need to know I'm not going to be punished for sharing something that can better protect the nation. There needs to be trust both ways that I can share sensitive information about how I'm operating, and that the government is going to help protect that," said American Electric Power Director of Security Strategy and Financial Planning Kate Mabbett at a Columbia University-hosted conference.

Meanwhile, Dragos Principal Product Advisor Kristine Martz noted that mounting threats to the power sector highlighted the importance of greater threat information sharing. Congress was previously urged by the American Public Power Association, the Electric Power Supply Association, the American Gas Association, the National Electrical Manufacturers Association, the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America, and the Edison Electric Institute to reauthorize CISA 2015 before the government shutdown.