American Gas - October 2012 - (Page 29)

T E C H N O L O G Y U P D AT E S & A D V A N C E S addressing them,” he says. “The current efforts fit right into that model.” But exactly how these measures are implemented will vary from company to company, since they have widely different operations. In this diversity there is strength and a resiliency that can prove an advantage in dealing with cyberthreats, says AGA President and CEO Dave McCurdy, who is also former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. It is for this reason that the AGA is concerned about any industry-wide standards that may be imposed legislatively. A “one-size fits-all preventive approach might have the potential to increase the vulnerability of a system,” McCurdy cautioned in a June 7 letter to Sen. John “Jay” D. Rockefeller IV, the chairman of the Senate’s Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. (Rockefeller had written the AGA in May to ask about an earlier, post-9/11 effort to develop encryption technology for the industry known as AGA 12, which is just one of the many efforts the industry has looked into to protect itself.) Besides providing attackers with a blueprint, any standardized operating system or single preventive mechanism would make for a more static target for malware developers, which churn out voluminous amounts of new malicious code every day. There is already a trend toward standardization in the manufacture of process-control Because the infiltrators reached control systems, the security of gas pipelines—part of the country’s energy infrastructure and hence a matter of national security—is once again a prominent public policy issue. instrumentation that could potentially increase the industry’s vulnerability. “Therefore,” argues McCurdy, the need for “operators to be flexible in determining their own mitigation measures and developing their own system-specific cybersecurity strategies cannot be overstated.” While some type of cybersecurity legislation seems inevitable, any new mandates or administratively burdensome regulations should not undermine the timely implementation of strategic cybersecurity defenses that are emerging from the already-vibrantly functioning array of government-industry partnerships, McCurdy says. “Legislation that does not recognize these proven and effective programs would undo more than a decade of time and intellectual investment from all these stakeholders,” he cautions. Paul K. Connolly, Jr. Special Counsel NATURAL GAS PIPELINE FILTERS PIERCE ATWOOD welcomes Paul K. Connolly, Jr. as Special Counsel to the firm’s energy practice, based in our Boston office. Paul joins the firm following his recent retirement as Vice President and General Counsel of Iberdrola USA, the parent company of Central Maine Power, New York State Electric & Gas and Rochester Gas and Electric. He brings a distinguished energy career to Pierce Atwood – having taken an instrumental role in the merger of Energy East into Iberdrola and serving for 25 years as the Founding and Managing Partner of LeBoeuf Lamb’s Boston office where he represented energy clients in various aspects of their business. A respected leader in energy regulation, Paul also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts where he started the regulated industries section. While Paul will be working primarily in Boston, he will also work closely with clients and counselors in both our Portland, ME and Washington, DC offices. Pierce Atwood. There’s a reason… 100 SUMMER STREET, #2250, BOSTON, MA 02110 / 617-488-8100 PORTLAND, ME / BOSTON, MA / PORTSMOUTH, NH PROVIDENCE, RI / AUGUSTA, ME STOCKHOLM, SE / WASHINGTON, DC For Dry & Coalescing Applications www.filterfabmfg.com sales@filterfabmfg.com pierceatwood.com 800-899-6927 Made in the USA OCTOBER 2012 AMERICAN GAS 29 http://www.filterfabmfg.com http://www.pierceatwood.com http://www.filterfabmfg.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of American Gas - October 2012

American Gas - October 2012
Contents
President’s Message
Industry News
In the Know
Safety First
Tech Talk
Keep the Lights On
Buyer’s Guide 2012
Places to Be
Jobline
Advertisers’ Index
Noteworthies
Marketplace
Facts on Gas

American Gas - October 2012