GOVERNMENT 5 Bills to Boost Energy Sector Cyber Defenses Clear House Panel The news comes after the Department of Energy conducted its annual Liberty Eclipse cybersecurity exercise. By Eduard Kovacs | February 6, 2026 (3:19 AM ET) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Email The House Subcommittee on Energy this week advanced five recently introduced bills aimed at boosting the physical and cyber security of the United States’ electric grid and other energy infrastructure. The bills collectively aim to update Department of Energy (DOE) programs, enhance grid and pipeline protections, and prioritize cybersecurity for vulnerable sectors amid rising threats. One of the bills is H.R. 7258, named the Energy Emergency Leadership Act, which bolsters the Department of Energy’s capabilities to perform its energy emergency functions and respond to risks and incidents. The second bill is H.R. 7266, the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act. It reauthorizes and supports a cybersecurity program through 2030, providing rural electric cooperatives, small utilities, and public power agencies with advanced cybersecurity tools, technical assistance, and grant funding. H.R. 7257, the Securing Community Upgrades for a Resilient Grid (SECURE Grid) Act, updates and enhances programs for the physical and cyber security of the energy infrastructure. It aims to build resilience in community-level upgrades and systems. The Pipeline Cybersecurity Preparedness Act, H.R. 7272, improves the DOE’s coordination and technical support for securing pipelines and LNG facilities. It aims to develop programs to improve collaboration, ensure timely responses to disruptions, and enhance overall resilience in energy fuel supply systems. ADVERTISEMENT. SCROLL TO CONTINUE READING. The last bill is H.R. 7305, the Energy Threat Analysis Center Act of 2026. It reauthorizes the Energy Threat Analysis Center (ETAC) to conduct preventative analysis, information sharing, and coordination on cyber threats to energy systems. Although the five bipartisan cybersecurity bills advanced unanimously from the House Energy Subcommittee, they still face a lengthy path ahead, including full committee approval, a House floor vote, Senate consideration, and settling any disputes. The Department of Energy recently conducted its annual Liberty Eclipse cybersecurity exercise, which trains power companies, government officials, and industry experts to respond to potentially disruptive cyberattacks targeting electricity and natural gas infrastructure. Through Liberty Eclipse, the DOE develops and runs large-scale, interactive cybersecurity exercises that provide hands-on experience in defending against advanced threats. Threat actors regularly target the global energy sector, including for espionage and destructive attacks. Related: Default ICS Credentials Exploited in Destructive Attack on Polish Energy Facilities Related: Phishers Abuse SharePoint in New Campaign Targeting Energy Sector Related: Bill Aims to Create National Strategy for Quantum Cybersecurity Migration WRITTEN BY Eduard Kovacs Eduard Kovacs (@EduardKovacs) is the managing editor at SecurityWeek. He worked as a high school IT teacher before starting a career in journalism in 2011. Eduard holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial informatics and a master’s degree in computer techniques applied in electrical engineering. 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Webinar: Identity Under Attack: Why Every Business Must Respond Now February 11, 2026 Attendees will walk away with guidance for how to build robust identity defenses, unify them under a consistent security model, and ensure business operations move quickly without compromise. Register Virtual Event: Ransomware Resilience & Recovery 2026 Summit February 25, 2026 SecurityWeek’s 2026 Ransomware Summit will discuss a roadmap for defending the enterprise, from mitigating root causes to mastering recovery, giving security teams the critical insights needed to navigate and neutralize today’s ransomware extortion threats. Submit PEOPLE ON THE MOVE Pennsylvania has named Andy Ritter as CISO and Jim Sipe as executive deputy CIO. Hayete Gallot has rejoined Microsoft as Executive Vice President, Security. Torq has appointed industry veteran John White as Field CISO. More People On The Move EXPERT INSIGHTS Living off the AI: The Next Evolution of Attacker Tradecraft Living off the AI isn’t a hypothetical but a natural continuation of the tradecraft we’ve all been defending against, now mapped onto assistants, agents, and MCP. (Etay Maor) Why We Can’t Let AI Take the Wheel of Cyber Defense The fastest way to squander the promise of AI is to mistake automation for assurance, and novelty for resilience. (Steve Durbin) The Upside Down is Real: What Stranger Things Teaches Us About Modern Cybersecurity To all those who are fighting the good fight in the world of cyber, keep collaborating to ensure our world never succumbs to the chaos of the Upside Down. (Nadir Izrael) Why Identity Security Must Move Beyond MFA By integrating identity threat detection with MFA, organizations can protect sensitive data, maintain operational continuity, and reduce risk exposure. (Torsten George) Forget Predictions: True 2026 Cybersecurity Priorities From Leaders Security leaders chart course beyond predictions with focus on supply chain, governance, and team efficiency. (Jennifer Leggio) Flipboard Reddit Whatsapp Email