American Gas - October 2010 - (Page 16)

safety first safet y | securit y | reliabilit y selecting security systems A public-private partnership gathers data and smart practices from around the nation. steppinG out of the business-as-usual box, the federal government has formed a partnership with the oil and natural gas pipeline industries to address concerns about the physical and cyber security of critical infrastructure facilities. rity, “natural gas companies faced some tough challenges because frequently and individually the Coast Guard, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other three-letter agencies were issuing new sets of expectations regarding security of the oil and natural gas infrastructure. At the same time, when DHS or other agencies wanted to talk with someone in the natural gas industry, it wasn’t always clear whom they should contact.” Today, thanks to the 2004 launch of the Oil and Natural Gas Sector Coordinating Council (ONG SCC) and the corresponding public sector Energy Government Coordinating Council, “the situation has improved,” says Forman, former ONG SCC chairman and current head of the council’s Pipeline Security Working Group. “Industry and government representatives are talking with one another and working as a team on security matters,” he explains. “This means the natural gas industry has a seat at the table as part of a focused and collaborative effort to safeguard the nation’s oil and gas infrastructure.” A Private-Public Team Each of 18 critical infrastructure sectors has a coordinating council, with membership drawn exclusively from the private arena. ONG SCC comprises some 23 trade organizations, including AGA, with each trade group represented by a member company, according to William Bryan, Department of Energy (DOE) deputy assistant secretary, Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability. “The membership represents all industry segments from offshore drillers and refiners to energy transmission and distribution pipeline companies.” The matching public sector coordinating councils are composed of representatives of the relevant federal agencies. In ONG SCC’s case, the federal counterpart’s members are drawn from, among others, DOE, TSA, DHS, the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Coast Guard and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. DOE and DHS head the public sector group and work with ONG SCC’s leadership to coordinate the two councils’ meetings and activities. “The industry coordinating councils them- Recent products of this partnership include “Pipeline Security Guidelines,” to be released this fall by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and followed soon after by a separate but complementary updated TSA pipeline security “smart practices” publication. AGA will make the materials available to its members. The public-private partnership has proved not only productive but also beneficial on the communication and coordination fronts. “In the early years following 9/11,” says Gary Forman, NiSource Inc. director of corporate secu16 october 2010 AmericAn GAs

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - October 2010

American Gas - September 2010
Contents
President’s Message
We’ve Got Mail
Industry News
Safety First
To Be the Best
Reflections from AGA’s ‘Player-Coach’
2010 Buyer’s Guide
Marketplace
Advertisers’ Index
Places to Be
Noteworthies
Jobline
Facts on Gas

American Gas - October 2010