PNNL’s Rebecca O’Neil Testifies Before Congress on Energy Infrastructure Security

Rebecca O’Neil, a research principal in the Energy and Environment Directorate at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), was invited to testify before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Energy on January 13, 2026, at a hearing titled “Protecting America’s Energy Infrastructure in Today’s Cyber and Physical Threat Landscape.” O’Neil joined lawmakers and energy industry experts to discuss strengthening the U.S. energy grid enhanced information-sharing among utilities, states, and the federal government, and deploying innovative technologies, analysis, and tools.

The subcommittee examined five bills aimed at improving grid protection, including proposals that would require states to incorporate cyber and physical security into energy plans, extend cybersecurity grants for rural utilities, and strengthen information-sharing between government and private utilities. Among the measures under consideration was the SECURE Grid Act, which updates the necessary components for State Energy Security Plans (SESPs). O’Neil led a PNNL team which provided expert review and technical assistance to states for their SESPs via the Assisting State Security in Energy Together (ASSET) program, supporting the Department of Energy’s Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER).

“We want to empower state roles and expertise in cyber and in physical security of energy systems,” O’Neil testified. “We cannot have national energy security without state energy security, and we look forward to advancing this important mission through the leadership of CESER and in partnership with the states.”

Through CESER, O’Neil’s team helped all 56 U.S. states and territories develop and complete federally required state energy security plans. This effort involved reviewing roughly 14,000 pages of submissions and providing objective federal reviews, technical guidance, data tools, and training. Working closely with partners such as the National Association of State Energy Offices (NASEO), the team supported every state and territory in meeting statutory requirements by December 2024.

“I agreed to take the lead with CESER partly because this is similar work I did 15 years ago for the Oregon Department of Energy,” shared O’Neil. “It helps for the laboratory to take their first step forward with someone who knows what these plans are supposed to do and understands how this can be valuable to the states. It was important to the team to be transparent and provide resources and accommodations to make people feel like they were part of a community.”

During the hearing, O’Neil highlighted PNNL’s research supporting state energy resilience, including studies of refinery markets and fuel supply chain effects for Oregon, as well as work with Tennessee energy security leaders documenting energy system performance in East Tennessee following Hurricane Helene. While state energy plans are not public, O’Neil shared common themes with lawmakers, noting that energy security extends beyond electricity to include home heating, industrial and transportation fuels, and natural gas systems, along with the interdependencies among them.

O’Neil emphasized that this work demonstrates PNNL’s ability to translate expertise into actionable, policy-relevant insights that help address cyber, physical, and supply-chain risks. Her testimony reinforced the message that national energy security depends on strong, well-supported state energy planning and showcased PNNL’s trusted role at the intersection of science, policy, and infrastructure resilience. CESER Program Manager Megan Levy reflected on the efficacy of O’Neil’s testimony: “Rebecca is one of only a handful of people who can speak so eloquently about the depth and breadth of the state role in energy security. She expertly communicated the complexities that states face when adhering to new requirements (such as providing a risk assessment of critical energy infrastructure that the state neither owns nor operates) to congressional representatives, while also highlighting the need for additional technical assistance to continue to improve the SESPs.”

Reflecting on the experience, O’Neil described the CESER work as her favorite project, crediting her team’s commitment and PNNL federal affairs director Tara Robertson for helping navigate the congressional hearing process.

“It was a privilege to represent the Laboratory and to represent work that happened all over the country,” she shared. “This effort reflects a strong partnership across many parts of PNNL and the confidence leadership has in our staff to engage directly with Congress. I hope this is the first of many interactions.”