Energy In-depth: Congressional Report Expresses Concerns On Cyberthreats To U.S. Power Grid

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CONGRESSIONAL REPORT EXPRESSES CONCERNS ON CYBERTHREATS TO U.S. POWER GRID
The U.S. industrial and utility sectors are seeing an increasing number of cyberattacks that could pose a major threat to the U.S. economy in the future, especially as it relates to the power grid, a recent Congressional policy paper warns.

According to the June 10 Congressional Research Service report called “Cybersecurity for the Bulk Power System,” the National Security Agency (NSA) reported that it has seen intrusions into industrial control systems by entities with the apparent technical capability “to take down control systems that operate U.S. power grids, water systems and other critical infrastructure.”

The report to Congress notes that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has stated it does not have the ability to react to a “fast moving or imminent” cyberattack. “Congress may want to consider whether FERC should have more authority to deal with cybersecurity threats in real time,” the 39-page report concludes.

STANFORD STUDY SAYS OIL AND GAS DRILLING LED TO OKLAHOMA EARTHQUAKES
Only weeks after the EPA released a landmark report saying that hydraulic fracking has not led to widespread impact on water supplies, two Stanford University geophysicists have linked oil and gas drilling to recent earthquakes in parts of Oklahoma, the Stanford News Service reported last week.

In a new study published in the June 19 issue of the journal, Science Advances, Professor Mark Zoback and PhD student Rall Walsh show that the state’s rising number of earthquakes coincided with dramatic increases in the disposal of salty wastewater into the Arbuckle formation, a 7,000-foot-deep sedimentary formation under Oklahoma.

In addition, the pair showed that the primary source of the quake-triggering wastewater is not so-called “flowback water” generated after hydraulic fracturing operations. Rather, the culprit is “produced water” – brackish water that naturally coexists with oil and gas within the Earth. Drilling companies separate produced water from extracted oil and gas and typically re-inject it into deeper disposal wells.

“What we’ve learned in this study is that the fluid injection responsible for most of the recent quakes in Oklahoma is due to production and subsequent injection of massive amounts of wastewater, and is unrelated to hydraulic fracturing,” said Zoback, professor at Stanford’s School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences.

EPA BEGINS HEARINGS ON PROPOSED ‘RENEWABLE STANDARD’ RULES FOR TRANSPORTATION FUELS
The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) held a national public hearing in Kansas City, Kan. on Thursday to receive comments on the department’s proposed rules to develop and implement rules requiring transportation fuel sold in the U.S. to contain a minimum volume of renewable fuel.

EPA officials say the proposed rule, called “Renewable Fuel Standard Program: Standards for 2014, 2015, and 2016 and Biomass-Based Diesel Volume for 2017,” were developed in collaboration with refiners, renewable fuel producers, and many other stakeholders.

However, opponents say the proposed rules would reduce the amount of renewable fuels required in gasoline and would stifle the ethanol industry against the intent of Congress.

The EPA is proposing the volume requirements and associated percentage standards that would apply under the RFS program in calendar years 2014, 2015, and 2016 for cellulosic biofuel, biomass-based diesel, advanced biofuel, and total renewable fuel. EPA is also proposing the volume requirement for biomass-based diesel for 2017.

NEW DEALS IN THE PIPELINE TO SHIP CRUDE OIL TO SHREVEPORT, EL DORADO
Plains All American Pipeline and Delek Logistics Partners LP announced Tuesday they have commenced an “open season” process for a proposed new pipeline that would ship crude oil into the Shreveport market, and also supply Delek’s refinery in El Dorado. Read more here.

GREEN MOBILE APPEARS AT STATE CAPITOL MALL
Media tours for the state’s new Green Mobile, a Winnebago that has been transformed into a solar energy laboratory, were held Thursday at the Capitol Mall complex.

The mobile solar energy lab will soon begin tours across the state for use in schools and training initiatives, state officials said. The Green Mobile features six 235-watt solar panels mounted on the driver’s side that can power all elements of the lab and can be used for solar energy demonstrations.

The Green Mobile was created through a grant from the Arkansas Energy Office within the state Economic Development Commission, along with support from the Arkansas EPSCoR Program, ASSET Initiative II.