Senators Cortez Masto, McCormick, Hickenlooper, Hoeven, and Curtis Introduce Legislation to Strengthen Cybersecurity for Rural and Municipal Utilities

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Dave McCormick (R-Pa.), John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), and John Curtis (R-Utah) introduced the Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act, bipartisan legislation to reauthorize a critical federal grant program to help rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities strengthen their cybersecurity defenses against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats. Cortez Masto originally helped create this grant program in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The bill reauthorizes the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity (RMUC) Grant and Technical Assistance Program at the Department of Energy, which provides rural electric cooperatives and publicly owned utilities with the resources, technical assistance, and support they need to prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyberattacks. The bill serves as the Senate companion to bipartisan legislation which unanimously passed the House of Representatives earlier this year.

"I was proud to help establish this grant program in the bipartisan infrastructure law to help rural utilities protect themselves from cybersecurity threats," said Senator Cortez Masto. "This program has proven incredibly successful and there is bipartisan support to reauthorize it. As new cyber threats continue to emerge, I'll keep working to ensure our rural communities have what they need to adapt."

"The Nevada Rural Electric Association applauds Senator Cortez Masto for continuing to champion legislation that promotes affordable and reliable power to rural Nevadans," said Lisa Levine, Executive Director of NREA. "The reauthorization of the Rural and Municipal Utility Advanced Cybersecurity (RMUC) Grant Program is a smart and proven investment that strengthens cyber defenses as threats intensify. We urge Congress to join Senator Cortez Masto to reauthorize this bipartisan program to protect America's energy grid."

Cyberattacks targeting our energy infrastructure have become more frequent and sophisticated in recent years. Rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities face unique resource constraints that make federal cybersecurity assistance especially valuable. The RMUC Grant Program helps utilities improve cybersecurity preparedness through grants, technical assistance, and workforce development. The Rural and Municipal Utility Cybersecurity Act would:

• Reauthorize the RMUC Grant and Technical Assistance Programthrough 2031;
• Continue providing grants and technical assistance to rural electric cooperatives and municipally-owned utilities to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities;
• Help utilities prevent, detect, respond to, and recover from cyber threats;
• Support cybersecurity planning, workforce development, vulnerability assessments, and other activities to improve electric grid resilience;
• Strengthen partnerships between the federal government and locally owned utilities to protect America's critical energy infrastructure; and
• Authorize $250 million over five years to support these efforts.

This bill is endorsed by the Nevada Rural Electric Association, American Public Power Association and National Rural Electric Cooperative Association.

Senator Cortez Masto is a strong supporter of Nevada's rural and agricultural communities. She recently introduced two bipartisan bills to protect rural water systems. She led the fight to protect family farms and ranches from an unfair tax hike. She has also introduced bipartisan legislation to put rural Western communities on an equal footing when it comes to applying for critical infrastructure grants, and additional bipartisan legislation to provide relief for taxpayers in states that have issued state-level disaster declarations.

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