American Gas - July 2014 - (Page 15)

CONNECTICUT All Hands on Deck Comp rehen 2013 sive for Co Energy Str nnect ategy icut PR EP A R The Co E D BY nnectic ut Dep artmen and E t of Ene nviron menta rgy l Prot ection State report recommends strategies to defend against cyberattacks HARTFORD-Connecticut has become the ﬁrst state in the nation to develop a cybersecurity plan in partnership with utilities aimed at strengthening defenses against possible future threats. Gov. Dannel Malloy initiated the report as part of his 2013 Comprehensive Energy Strategy, which called on the state's Public Utilities Regulatory Authority to work with state agencies and conduct a review of Connecticut's electricity, natural gas, and water companies to assess the adequacy of their capabilities to deter interruption of service and to recommend actions to strengthen deterrence. The authority worked with major public utilities and the telecommunications industry on the plan. The report recommends that Connecticut utilities begin self-regulated cyber audits and reports and move toward a third-party audit and assessment system. It also makes recommendations regarding local and regional regulatory roles, emergency drills and training, coordinating with emergency management ofﬁcials, and handling of conﬁdential information. Gov. Malloy noted that the state is also cooperating with federal authorities to strengthen cybersecurity. The Connecticut report is seen as a possible model for other states and businesses looking for ways to address this growing challenge. According to Malloy, there were more than 3,000 cyberattacks against U.S. companies in 2013. Connecticut's state government alone receives 40 million probes annually, ranging from attempts to penetrate the system to attempts to take it down. "Just as we are taking proactive steps to harden our critical infrastructure and the shoreline to defend against severe weather events, so too must we be prepared to defend against the potential disruption that cyber intrusions can cause to vital services such as energy, water, and telecommunications," Malloy said in a statement announcing the plan's release. FE B RU ARY 1 9 , 20 13 Utilities in the state will work closely with the regulatory authority to develop a speciﬁc course of action in response to the report's recommendations. "Northeast Utilities, and its companies Yankee Gas and CL&P, take the security and safety of our employees and customers very seriously," Connecticut Light & Power/Yankee Gas spokesman Mitch Gross told American Gas. "Our company has a robust, comprehensive security program in place to protect against potential threats. Recognizing that technology is ever evolving, we continue to work with the governor, state ofﬁcials, and security experts on this issue. This combined expertise is vital to the protection of our natural gas and electrical systems." -G.J. H AWA I I Aloha, LNG! State receives its ﬁrst LNG shipments HONOLULU-On April 17, Hawaii used "real" natural gas for the ﬁrst time in the state's history. Previously it had relied exclusively on synthetic gas produced from oil-derived naphtha. Hawai'i Gas is bringing in containerized LNG to augment its syngas to serve residential JULY 2014 AMERICAN GAS 15

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American Gas - July 2014