ASDWA Testifies at Energy & Commerce Hearing on Cybersecurity in the Sector

On January 31, Cathy Tucker-Vogel, former ASDWA President and Chief of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s Public Supply Section testified on behalf of state drinking water primacy agencies at the House Energy and Commerce’s Environment, Manufacturing and Critical Materials subcommittee hearing, titled “Ensuring the Cybersecurity of America’s Drinking Water Systems.” Witnesses from across the sector, including representatives from the Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies, the National Rural Water Association, and the American Water Works Association, highlighted known gaps in the sector’s cyber posture and emphasized the need for Federal support in the form of additional funding and technical assistance. All of the witnesses jointly called for greater collaboration moving forward.

Tucker-Vogel noted in her testimony, “Even the most comprehensive assessments do not address deficiencies. A framework that supports corrective actions must be in place to assist these systems in addressing the identified problems during these assessments. Any future Federal actions on cybersecurity must be developed in collaboration with the co-regulators, i.e., state agencies and the regulated entities, i.e., the water systems” to be successful.

You can view a hearing recording HERE for the full discussion or read ASDWA’s testimony HERE.