Earlier today, the Government Accountability Office published a report reviewing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) pipeline security guidelines.
In response, Don Santa, President and CEO of the Interstate Natural Gas Association of America (INGAA), issued the following statement:
“Cybersecurity is a priority for INGAA and our members. In the time since this study was commissioned, a number of initiatives have been undertaken by the industry and our federal agency partners, which demonstrate our commitment to enhancing our security posture and staying ahead of threats.
“In particular, INGAA is pleased with the new joint partnership with the Transportation and Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Energy to conduct cybersecurity assessments of pipelines. We believe this interagency approach will bring to bear the particular expertise of each agency, along with those of the industry itself.
“The study raises a number of important questions which we are reviewing now. In this environment of rapidly evolving cyber threats, it is important that we take an approach that enables flexibility and allows us to quickly adapt and update protocols. Experience shows that mandatory standards are all too often outdated almost as soon as they are introduced. We need the flexibility and ability to build on our baseline practices to look forward towards addressing the threats of the future.”
