VIDEO: Ricketts Discusses Resilient Water Infrastructure, Threat of Communist China’s Cyber-Attacks

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday, during a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Pete Ricketts (R-NE) discussed the threat of cyber-attacks on American water infrastructure. Ricketts addressed the threat posed by Communist China and the importance of resilient water infrastructure.

"In Nebraska, our water and wastewater utilities manage and protect our state's groundwater. They provide critical services to Nebraskans. We've talked about how it impacts the states that you're from, the security is increasingly at risk from foreign adversaries seeking to undermine critical infrastructure and threaten public safety through cyber-attacks on our water systems," said Ricketts. "Communist China has actively been involved in targeting wastewater systems, critical infrastructure in every community across the US. In 2024, the EPA's [Office of the Inspector General] found that nearly 100 drinking water systems, serving 26.6 million people had critical or high-risk cybersecurity vulnerabilities… These vulnerabilities leave utilities exposed to cyber criminals and foreign adversaries."

"It's important that rural water systems have the tools, resources, and technical support necessary to defend against these cyber and foreign threats. Yet, many small and rural communities face significant barriers in accessing these tools and resources," said Ricketts. "Just yesterday, I met with the Nebraska Rural Water Association, who shared some of these challenges - such as the staffing shortages we've discussed and reduced technical capacity to protect our water systems, our food supply, and, ultimately, our national security. We must ensure rural communities are equipped to build and maintain resilient water infrastructure."

Watch the video HERE.

Ricketts' comments were made in a hearing of the Committee on Environment and Public Works: "Identifying and Addressing Cybersecurity Challenges to Protect America's Water Infrastructure". The witnesses were Dr. D. Scott Simonton, Fellow, Marshall University Institute for Cyber Security; Matt Odermann, Executive Board Member, North Dakota Rural Water Systems Association; and Scott Dewhirst, Deputy General Manager, Engineering and Technology, Fairfax Water, on behalf of Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies (AMWA).