On February 26 and 27, the Oil and Natural Gas Subsector Coordinating Council (ONG-SCC) under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) met to discuss pipeline physical and cyber security. ONG-SCC represents the private sector interests of the oil and natural gas industry in the public-private partnership. It provides a forum to coordinate oil and natural gas security strategies, activities, policy, and communication across the sector to support the nation’s homeland security mission. APGA is a member of the ONG-SCC and Erin Kurilla participated on behalf of APGA membership. Other participants comprised of a wide range of industry and government officials, including representatives from the DHS Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Department of Energy (DOE), Department of Justice (DOJ), Coast Guard, Department of Transportation (DOT) Pipeline and Hazardous Material Administration (PHMSA), and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).
Topics for this meeting included updates on the pipeline security initiatives underway at TSA, mock drills planned for 2019, reports and studies being undertaken by various federal agencies and national labs, and efforts by law enforcement entities to address criminal actions along the nation’s pipelines.
While the security of natural gas pipelines is not strictly regulated, DHS TSA is responsible for “enhancing the security preparedness of the nation’s hazardous liquid and natural gas pipeline systems. TSA has developed security guidelines and training materials for pipeline industry partners to increase security awareness and preparedness.” All APGA members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the TSA Pipeline Security Guidelines at
https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/pipeline_security_guidelines.pdf Here are some additional resources if you’d like to learn more about the ONG-SCC:
https://www.ingaa.org/File.aspx?id=32877&v=c706c741 https://www.dhs.gov/energy-ong-subsector-charters-and-membership For questions on this article, please contact Erin Kurilla of APGA staff by phone at 202-464-2742 or by email at
ekurilla@apga.org.