The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is creating a new office to address cyber and physical security risks to FERC-jurisdictional facilities, such as electric generation and transmission facilities, oil and gas pipelines, and LNG terminals. The new Office of Energy Infrastructure Security (OEIS) will rely on FERC’s existing statutory authority in providing “leadership, expertise and assistance” to identify and mitigate such risks. While electric utilities will be familiar with FERC’s efforts to address cybersecurity risks, such oversight will be new to companies in the oil and gas sectors.

The Office of Energy Infrastructure Security -

According to a FERC press release, OEIS will focus on “identifying, communicating and mitigating potential cyber and physical security threats and vulnerabilities to FERC-jurisdictional facilities.” OEIS’s activities will include...