H.R. 4298, the "Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense (GRID) Act"

On March 26, 2014, Rep. Henry A. Waxman and Sen. Edward J. Markey introduced the Grid Reliability and Infrastructure Defense (GRID) Act in the House and Senate, respectively.  The bill provides the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) with the authority it needs to effectively address physical, cyber, electromagnetic pulse, and other threats to and vulnerabilities of the electric grid.  In 2010, the original GRID Act was reported out of the Energy and Commerce Committee by a vote of 47 to 0.  It then passed the House by voice vote, but the Senate did not act on the legislation.