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nature of our defenses,whether they are designed to protect American Public Power Association Position cyber or physical assets.As such,CIP Version 5 are in effect Protecting the cybersecurity of the electric grid is of upmost and became enforceable on July 1,2016.FERC also approved importance to public power utilities and the electric utility a physical security standard to protect the Nation's most critical industry as a whole.The regulations and standards("NERC- substations that became enforceable on October 1,2015.Final- FERC")process set up in the 2005 Energy Policy Act continue ly,APPA worked with others in the electric sector to participate to provide a solid foundation for strengthening the industry's in and comment on the activities outlined in President Obama's security posture.These mandatory standards evolve with input Executive Order on cybersecurity released in February 2013. from subject-matter experts from across industry and gov- The Executive Order required the creation of a cybersecurity ernment.However,we recognize that we cannot protect all framework,which was released in February 2014.The Associa- assets from all threats all the time,and instead must manage tion has encouraged its members to adopt this framework and risk.APPA believes that close coordination among industry evaluate their cybersecurity plans. and government partners at all levels is imperative to deterring APPA is also involved with internal and external working attacks and preparing for emergency situations and,as such,will groups to enhance the security of the electric grid.The Associa- continue to invest considerable resources into this effort. tion created the Cybersecurity and Physical Preparedness Com- mittee(CAPP),a collection of APPA members who serve on working groups and share information related to security issues. American Public Power Association Furthermore,the Association and its members play a leadership Contacts role in the Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council(ESCC), Amy Thomas,Government Relations Director, the government/industry partnership focused on security and 202-467-2934/athomas@publicpower.org information sharing that is mentioned earlier in this document. Through the ESCC,APPA works with the other critical infra- Cory Toth,Government Relations Director, structure sectors,such as the downstream natural gas and dam 202-467-2939/ctoth@publicpower.org sectors. The Association has partnered with the Department of Energy(DOE) and signed a three-year Cooperative Agreement for up to$2.5 million per year to accelerate the Association's ef- The American Public Power Association is the voice of forts to help its members understand and implement resiliency, not-for-profit,community-owned utilities that power cybersecurity,and cyber-physical solutions,including refining 2,000 towns and cities nationwide.We represent pub- and improving the adoption of advanced control concepts. lic power before the federal government to protect the We respectfully encourage Congress to continue fully funding interests of the more than 49 million people that public research in this area through the DOE's Office of Electricity power utilities serve,and the 93,000 people they em- Delivery and Energy Reliability(OEDER). ploy. Our association advocates and advises on electricity policy,technology,trends,training,and operations.Our members strengthen their communities by providing superior service,engaging citizens,and instilling pride in community-owned power. 12 PubticPower.org 194