Frustrated by the Senate’s inability to pass the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 and determined to confront the growing threat of cyber attacks on our nation’s critical infrastructure, Senator Coons teamed up with Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) to send a letter to President Obama Tuesday urging him to issue an executive order to take the first steps on implementing a voluntary system to increase information-sharing in the private sector.
“We remain committed to the passage of this important legislation, and are continuing our efforts to resolve differences regarding the appropriate role of government in the protection of critical infrastructure,” the senators wrote. “We write today to stress, however, that the failure of Congress to act should not prevent the executive branch from taking available steps to counter the enormous and growing cyber threat.”
Working with the Cybersecurity Act’s authors, Senators Coons and Blumenthal were part of a bipartisan effort to build consensus around a voluntary system for owners of key power, transportation, and communication facilities to coordinate with the federal government on the strengthening of their cyber defenses. In their letter today, the senators urge President Obama to instruct Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano “to convene an inter-agency group that will develop, in close collaboration with the private sector, voluntary standards for digital safeguards for our nation’s critical infrastructure.”
“We recognize that an order directing the promulgation of voluntary standards cannot and should not be the final word in cybersecurity,” the senators wrote. “An executive order, for example, would not be able to provide the types of incentives for participating companies that Congress can establish. A well-crafted set of voluntary standards could, however, be an important step towards improving the cybersecurity of our nation’s critical infrastructure.”
Read the full letter below: