Bipartisan bills aim to boost cybersecurity, disaster preparedness for rural water systems
In a bid to bolster the resilience and cybersecurity of rural water and wastewater systems, Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) have re-introduced two bipartisan bills.
The Rural Water System Disaster Preparedness and Assistance Act is designed to help rural water and wastewater utilities prepare for and withstand natural disasters and extreme weather events. Meanwhile, the Cybersecurity for Rural Water Systems Act focuses on updating technical assistance opportunities to enhance cyber defenses for these critical infrastructures.
Currently, only 20% of water and wastewater systems nationwide have basic cyber protections, according to the EPA Cybersecurity for the Water Sector initiative.
The proposed bills seek to expand and modernize the Department of Agriculture’s Circuit Rider Program, which provides technical assistance to rural water systems. The expansion would include developing protocols to support cyber defenses and offering additional aid to improve overall protections, according to a press release.
Rounds emphasized the importance of these measures, stating, “As our near-peer adversaries continue to utilize cyberattacks, we must have cybersecurity safeguards in place to protect our critical infrastructure such as water systems. Our legislation would modernize and expand the Circuit Rider Program, providing cybersecurity-related technical assistance to rural water and wastewater systems.”
Rear Adm. (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, executive director of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission, highlighted the urgency of the situation. “These water systems face real and immediate threats from both criminals and nation state actors that can have consequences on national security, economic productivity, and public health and safety. The existing circuit rider program that this leverages is a proven vehicle for delivering security solutions.”
Evan Dornbush, a former NSA cybersecurity expert, underscored the need for a consolidated approach: “We’ve already seen multiple examples of foreign actors attempting to, and successfully breach the technology utilized by water systems using zero-day exploits and remaining undetected for extended time periods. Building a consolidated program for operators to cost-share on monitoring, remediation, and information-distribution efforts sounds like a national imperative at this point in history.”
Both bills will now proceed through the legislative process, starting with committee reviews. If approved, the bills will move to the floor of both chambers for debate and voting. Successful passage in both the House and Senate will then require the President’s signature to become law.
