During the February 12 State of the Union address, President Obama announced the Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity executive order. The order is aimed at protecting critical infrastructure from cyber attacks, a goal that is shared by the Edison Electric Institute. 

As the only industry subject to mandatory and enforceable cybersecurity standards, the electric power sector already is taking significant steps to protect the electric grid  and to work closely with the government to prevent, detect, and respond to cyber threats. The order represents another step toward improving government-industry coordination, but it does not preclude the need for congressional action to address statutory changes that will improve information sharing and access to classified information that the private sector needs to serve as the first line of defense in the protection of its critical infrastructure. EEI and its members look forward to continuing to work with the Administration and Congress to address this national security priority.

• Check out EEI’s cybersecurity principles.
• Learn about the industry’s cybersecurity initiatives.
• Read the complete EEI response to the executive order.