Communication breaks down as grid attacks surge

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Sep 11, 2023 View in browser   By Arianna Skibell Sixty physical attacks or threats on the grid were reported from January through March. The darker circles indicate multiple incidents. Attacks on the U.S. power grid are on the rise, threatening to upend lives all across the country. Yet a lack of communication between law enforcement and officials charged with keeping the lights on has left state and federal regulators largely unaware of the full extent of those threats, according to an analysis by POLITICO reporter Catherine Morehouse. Regulators say that’s making it harder to safeguard the nation’s vast electricity system. “It looks like they’re escalating if you look at the data,” said Jon Wellinghoff, former chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the nation’s top energy regulatory body. “But if you don’t have enough data, you can’t discern patterns and proactively work to stop these things from happening.” The statistics are striking. During the first six months of this year, utilities reported 94 physical and computerized threats or assaults on electric grid infrastructure to the Department of Energy. That’s significantly higher than the 67 incidents reported in the first half of 2022. The country is on track to meet or surpass last year’s record 164 major cyber and physical attacks. The number of attacks is likely higher than DOE data suggests. Catherine found that several incidents that utilities had reported to homeland security officials did not show up in DOE data. No single agency keeps a complete record of such incidents. And law enforcement officers investigating alleged plots don’t necessarily alert grid operators and regulators. Law enforcement officials have blamed much of the rise in grid assaults on white nationalist and far-right extremists, who use online forums to spread tactical advice on how to shut down power systems, according to the FBI. To the people who run and regulate electricity plants and power lines, knowing what they’re up against is what matters the most. When two suspects with neo-Nazi ties were charged with plotting to take down Baltimore’s power grid earlier this year, Maryland’s top utility regulator found out about the scheme on the news. Jason Stanek, the then-chair of the state’s Public Service Commission, said Maryland regulators were “caught flat-footed,” not hearing a word from law enforcement before the news broke — or in the months afterward.   GROWING IN THE GOLDEN STATE: POLITICO California is growing, reinforcing our role as the indispensable insider source for reporting on politics, policy and power. From the corridors of power in Sacramento and Los Angeles to the players and innovation hubs in Silicon Valley, we're your go-to for navigating the political landscape across the state. Exclusive scoops, essential daily newsletters, unmatched policy reporting and insights — POLITICO California is your key to unlocking Golden State politics. LEARN MORE.       It's Monday — thank you for tuning in to POLITICO's Power Switch. I'm your host, Arianna Skibell. Power Switch is brought to you by the journalists behind E&E News and POLITICO Energy. Send your tips, comments, questions to askibell@eenews.net. And folks, let’s keep it classy. Listen to today’s POLITICO Energy podcast Today in POLITICO Energy’s podcast: Marie J. French breaks down the practical and political risks several Democratic-led states face as they try to move away from fossil fuels toward cleaner energy. Strike clock ticks United Auto Workers members march near a Stellantis factory in Detroit. | Mike Householder/AP Photo Nearly 150,000 United Auto Workers union members could go on strike this week if a deal is not reached with Ford, General Motors and Stellantis by the end of Thursday. The strike threat comes after months of complaints by UAW that workers aren't sharing in the benefits of the Biden administration's hundreds of billions of dollars in subsidies for clean energy projects like electric cars. So far, union members remain frustrated with the auto giants' opening wage proposal. UAW President Shawn Fain called it “shameful and insulting” and “deeply inadequate,” write Tanya Snyder and Oriana Pawlyk. Union members authorized a potential strike last month, with 99.5 percent of members voting in favor. And while President Joe Biden has publicly predicted that the auto workers won't strike, his office has been privately preparing for such an event that could dent the economy and threaten the president’s reelection hopes, write Holly Otterbein, Zack Colman and Olivia Olander. Power Centers POLITICO illustration/Photos by Pixabay, iStock Polluting cars land in court A powerful federal appeals court will hear arguments this week in three challenges to the Biden administration’s efforts to curb carbon pollution from the transportation sector — the largest source in the United States, writes Lesley Clark. And the battles could go all the way to the Supreme Court amid a conservative push to challenge the limits of the executive branch. Documents: Trump pick caused an early ethics stir Nearly two years before former Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke left the Trump administration amid a series of ethics allegations, department staffers expressed concern about Zinke mixing his public and private life, Corbin Hiar found through a 6-year-old Freedom of Information Act request. The documents underscore how foreseeable — and avoidable — Zinke’s ethical troubles at Interior were. Their release comes amid Zinke’s reelection campaign for a U.S. House seat in Montana. Biden's Alaska move attracts lawsuits An Alaska corporation is already teeing up a legal battle over the Biden administration’s decision to cancel contested oil and gas leases in a massive wildlife refuge, writes Niina H. Farah. “A willingness to circumvent laws passed by Congress has consequences reaching far beyond [Arctic National Wildlife Refuge] boundaries, and will impact future development across this country,” the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority said. “AIDEA will aggressively defend our lease rights and oppose this unlawful action.” Russia's war Ukrainian military forces announced today that they regained control from Russian forces over four important oil and gas drilling platforms in the Black Sea near the shores of Russian-occupied Crimea, writes Veronika Melkozerova. Ukraine’s military intelligence offered evidence of their victory by posting a video of Ukrainian soldiers posing on the platforms at the Black Sea. In Other News Return of the denial: Ahead of this fall's global climate conference, experts are warning that climate denialism could be making a comeback. Who benefits: Why Native American tribes are struggling to tap billions in clean energy incentives.   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of the first episodes in September – click here.     Subscriber Zone A showcase of some of our best subscriber content. Former President Donald Trump promised to shut down climate liability lawsuits if he's elected. | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo Former President Donald Trump said that if he is reelected, he will continue his effort to block lawsuits that aim to hold the oil and gas industry accountable for the ravages of climate change. Backlash against Ford’s plan to use Chinese technology in its electric vehicles is increasing political pressure on President Joe Biden to impose rules that could imperil a key part of his ambitious climate strategy. Biden and U.S. allies are ramping up their strategy to tap Africa’s rich mineral resources, including offering funding to a Mozambique project near a conflict zone. That's it for today, folks! Thanks for reading.   Follow us on Twitter Arianna Skibell @ariannaskibell   Follow us

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