Consumers and industry were caught off guard when the largest refined products pipeline in the United States shut down its operations for several days because of a ransomware attack. Shut down of the pipeline and the subsequent delivery delays resulted in long lines at gas stations, cost millions of dollars, and caused “panic buying” from consumers. Now that the initial chaos has subsided, operators and lawmakers are faced with more questions than answers.

Members of our Pipeline & LNG, Electric, Cybersecurity, and Government Advocacy practice groups examine issues such as regulatory and jurisdictional issues and what might lie ahead in terms of legislation as the energy sector attempts to prevent future cyber-attacks.

Topics Covered Included:

• Comparing the regulation of gas and hazardous liquid pipelines
• Providing an overview of the Colonial Pipeline attack and recent developments
• Industry reactions
• Potential government oversight and jurisdictional challenges
• Current and potential regulations and legislation

About our panelists:

Susan Olenchuk, Partner. Susan advises operators of gas transmission and distribution pipelines, hazardous liquid pipelines and LNG facilities before the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, state agencies, and courts with respect to a full range of issues, including compliance and enforcement matters, that arise under the Pipeline Safety Laws. She also represents pipelines on rate and tariff issues before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Darsh Singh, Senior Associate. provides guidance to electric utilities and natural gas pipeline clients on cyber risk-management, best practices, supply chain management, cyber-related cost recovery, and applicable cybersecurity laws and standards. She also advises energy companies on their cybersecurity programs and policies. helps regulated utilities navigate their reliability-related functions and understand compliance with North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) reliability standards, including Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Standards. Aside from the practice of cybersecurity, represents natural gas pipelines and utilities before the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

Michael Weiner, Director of Governmental Issues. Michael Weiner is an experienced government advocacy and public policy professional providing strategic advice and representation on federal legislative and regulatory issues. His portfolio includes matters relating to energy, environmental, natural resources, transportation, and cybersecurity policy. He also assists clients with federal appropriations matters and monitors major actions and emerging legislation on Capitol Hill.

T.C. Richmond, Partner. For over three decades, T.C. has worked with state and local governmental agencies, and non-profit organizations serving the public sector. She is general counsel for a 7-member regional water agency. T.C. advises on governance, water law, land use, climate change, and cybersecurity issues affecting water agencies and utilities.