Why FERC Appointments Are Important
A former FERC commissioner recently described the afore mentioned body, which regulates the U.S. electrical grid, as an economic regulating tool that does ‘a little bit of security.’
He unwittingly and accurately characterized the culture of energy regulators. They do not see their mission as one that comes with great responsibilities for national security.
That mindset itself is a security problem. No amount of industry standards can keep up with the pace of cyber threats to the electric grid.
Each new story of cyber attacks on the grid tell us one thing. Our enemies know that our electric grid is a strategic vulnerability.
Without security considerations in the design of our electrical grid, it doubles cyber as a vulnerability in nuclear tactics according to one recent U.S. intelligence journal. That means that our nuclear deterrent and missile defense is undermined by an unprotected electric grid. That undermines U.S. diplomatic power and global stability even if the grid is never attacked.
President Trump should appoint FERC commissioners with strategic national security experience and not draw from the status quo community of industry lawyers, public utility commissioners, and capitol hill cronies.
To drain the swamp, President Trump must not hire FERC commissioners from the swamp.