Schiff, Klobuchar unveil Water Cyber Shield Act for water systems

Bill adds $300M annually to water infrastructure funds

Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., released the Water Cyber Shield Act on Monday, a bill aimed at meeting increased cybersecurity needs for U.S. water infrastructure.

The legislation follows recent cyberattacks on more than 30 municipal water systems throughout Minnesota and other states last month. Officials suspect the attacks may originate from Iran-based hackers. Utilities regained control over their systems and water supplies were not affected, but cybersecurity experts said the intrusions exposed longstanding weaknesses.

Schiff, the top Democrat on the Fisheries, Water and Wildlife subcommittee of the Environment and Public Works Committee, said the act would strengthen federal oversight by the Environmental Protection Agency, provide funding for local utilities and protect drinking water and wastewater systems from cyberattacks.

“Every American depends on safe, reliable drinking water, yet recent events have exposed just how vulnerable our water systems remain to cyberattacks by foreign adversaries and criminal entities,” Schiff said in a statement. “These threats are not hypothetical — they are happening right now. This legislation gives EPA the tools it needs to protect this critical infrastructure while providing the resources that local water and wastewater systems need to strengthen their cybersecurity without passing the cost on to ratepayers.”

The bill would increase drinking water and clean water state revolving funds by $300 million annually. It would require the EPA to work with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to establish basic cybersecurity standards for drinking water systems.

“The recent cybersecurity attacks on Minnesota have highlighted the urgent need to improve the security of our water systems and critical infrastructure,” Klobuchar said. “Our legislation will direct the EPA to assess water infrastructure cybersecurity and identify vulnerabilities, and help municipal water systems defend against cyber threats.”

MSI previously reported that federal agencies were investigating cyberattacks that targeted more than 30 Minnesota water systems and that hackers attempted to breach at least 30 such systems in late July. The Water Cyber Shield Act is the first major congressional legislative response to those incidents.