Gallego Introduces Bipartisan Bill Protecting Water Infrastructure from Cyberattacks

Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Tom Cotton (R-AR) have introduced the Water Cybersecurity Enhancement Act to protect the nation's water systems from cyberattacks.

The bill amends part of the Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Program, which is itself part of the Safe Drinking Water Act, by awarding grants to fund guidance and training for state and local actors on protecting the cybersecurity of their water infrastructure.

"In Arizona, we know better than most the importance of safe and secure access to water. But adversaries also understand the importance and are increasingly trying to undermine our water security," said Sen. Gallego in his press release, adding, "It is critical that we ensure our public water systems have the resources they need to prevent and respond to cyberattacks. That's exactly what this bipartisan, commonsense bill does."

Sen. Cotton, the bill's cosponsor, said, "Cyberattacks on public infrastructure are a growing threat, and our water systems are no exception."

"This bipartisan bill will strengthen our ability to protect essential services and support local water utilities in building stronger cyber defenses," Sen. Cotton continued.

Cyberattacks on American infrastructure have been a growing concern in recent years. Fox News reported that anonymous Chinese dissidents have confirmed the country was behind several attacks in recent months via the Volt Typhoon hacking campaign.

In January, Representative Eli Crane (R-AZ) demanded accountability from government officials in a House Homeland Security hearing for failing to prevent these attacks.

Mark Montgomery (Rear Admiral, Ret.), Senior Director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, suggested that cyberattacks are a relatively new form of warfare that the government has been slow to recognize as a weapon of espionage by rival states, not criminal organizations.

In February, Representative Andy Biggs (R-AZ) similarly asked Heritage Foundation Senior Research Fellow Brent Sadler in a House oversight hearing how the United States could counter future attacks.