Cybersecurity Policy Report, House Panel Will Consider Ways to Boost Water Sector’s Cyber Defenses, (Aug 31, 2026)
Legislation that would update the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act by adding cybersecurity provisions will be considered at a hearing scheduled for Thursday by the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s environment subcommittee.
The hearing will focus on ways to protect water utilities from hackers and the use of water by data centers, according to Reps. Brett Guthrie (R., Ky.) and Gary Palmer (R., Ala.), the chairmen of the full committee and subcommittee, respectively.
“Throughout this Congress, the Committee has worked to ensure Americans have access to safe and reliable drinking water,” the chairmen said in a news release. “This hearing will provide an opportunity for members to discuss legislation that safeguards our drinking water infrastructure, protecting water systems against cyber threats and other risks.”
The hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. in Room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building. Witnesses haven’t been announced.
The chairmen indicated that the subcommittee would consider the Safe Drinking Water Infrastructure Improvement Act, draft legislation that would update the 1974 law that originally focused on drinking water safety. The draft bill would reauthorize a variety of federal grants for public water systems and permit the funds to be used for cybersecurity. It would also give the Environmental Protection Agency more authority over the water sector’s cyber defenses.
Similar legislation, the Water Authority Cybersecurity Protection Act (HR 10151),was introduced last week by Reps. Chris Deluzio (D., Pa.) and Brad Finstad (R., Minn.) in response to the recent spate of cyber attacks on water utilities (CPR, Aug. 28).
Cyber attacks on vulnerable programmable logic controllers used by water utilities and other critical infrastructure operators to control physical processes have recently prompted urgent warnings from cyber defense agencies in the U.S. and abroad (CPR, Aug. 19).
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