American Gas Association backs new TSA regulations for pipeline security

The American Gas Association (AGA) has expressed its support for new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) regulations for pipeline cybersecurity.

The TSA’s Security Directive states that pipeline operators must alert the government of cyber incidents.

“We support the intent of the recently issued Pipeline Security Directive. TSA is headed in the right direction, and we look forward to identifying concrete measures to bolster our common mission of pipeline security and public safety,” Kimberly Denbow, AGA’s managing director, security and operations, said.

AGA has been at the forefront of public-private partnerships in the cybersecurity space, including founding the Downstream Natural Gas Information Sharing and Analysis Center in 2015. This is the premier cyber and physical threat sharing and analysis organization for the natural gas industry in the U.S. and Canada. It facilitates situational awareness and threat communication between operators and the federal government. Also, AGA’s Peer Cyber Review Program allows member utilities to consult with peer utility cyber subject matter experts and take an assessment that aligns with TSA Pipeline Security Guidelines.

The AGA Board of Directors recently passed a resolution to support reasonable cybersecurity regulations. Specifically, the organization supports a risk-based methodology; a framework organized by the function’s identity, protect, detect, respond and recover; permit operator flexibility to pivot to a constantly evolving cyber threat landscape; and rules that are aligned with natural gas industry cybersecurity guidelines and standards for operational technology.

The American Gas Association represents more than 200 local energy companies that deliver clean natural gas throughout the United States.