Underground Construction - September 2021 - 15

" Th e GAO report shows the use of
incomplete information for security
risk assessments and aged protocols for
responding to security incidents, as well
as many of the workforce issues that
we have previously addressed in this
committee, " she explained.
At the hearings, Leslie Gordon, acting
director of homeland security and
justice, GAO, complimented the TSA for
correcting most of the shortcomings the
GAO had identifi ed in two recent reports.
But she underlined two weaknesses that
were still evident. One was incomplete
information for pipeline risk assessments.
GAO identifi ed factors that likely limit
the usefulness of TSA's risk assessment
methodology for prioritizing pipeline
security reviews.
Th e second was aged protocols for
responding to pipeline security incidents.
Th e TSA still uses its 2010 Pipeline
Security and Incident Recovery Protocol
Plan, which is very light with regard
to cybersecurity. TSA has started to
correct those shortcomings, but has not
completed that job, according to the GAO.
At hearings across the Capitol on
the same day as the House Energy &
Commerce Committee, top Republican
Rep. Fred Upton (MI) pointed out that
not enough pipeline executives have the
required clearance level needed to access
DHS information and data.
FERC Commissioner Neil Chatterjee,
whose formal term ended in August,
answered, " Th ere is no question that
is a problem. " He went on to say that
if a missile had taken out the Colonial
Pipeline, " we would have clearly
recognized that as an act of terrorism and
known how to respond accordingly. Our
mindset is not there yet. "
While members of the House, Senate,
and FERC (which has no authority over
pipeline cybersecurity) feel the DHS
needs to go further, the agency is staffi ng
up in an eff ort to increase pipeline
oversight. Pekoske ran through the TSA's
expansion of its pipeline cybersecurity
personnel, from six to 39 full-time
employees, since the passage of the TSA
Modernization Act in October 2018.
Further, in fi scal year 2020, TSA
established and trained a 20-member
fi eld-based pipeline security assessment
team (PSAT), which is comprised of
credentialed transportation security
inspectors (TSIs) located around
the nation, in order to expand TSA's
support and engagement capacity
with pipeline owners and operators.
Eight members from the PSAT team
and TSA headquarters have completed
comprehensive cybersecurity training
provided by Idaho National Labs. *
OUR COMMITMENT
TO SAFETY
IS PERSONAL.
At Miller Pipeline, safety isn't an afterthought.
In fact, it's the most important of our core values.
We make it personal because of the things in our
lives that matter most: our friends, our families,
and our well-being. When we make safety a
priority, you can trust that we'll provide the quality,
commitment, and reputation we're known for.
www.millerpipeline.com
BUILD YOUR CAREER. #JOINOURMILLERTEAM
Submit an application at www.millerpipelinecareers.com
UCONonline.com | SEPTEMBER 2021
15
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Underground Construction - September 2021

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