Energy Sector All-Hazards Emergency Response (2020 Transition)
| Book 2 - Issue Papers
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| Entire 2020 DOE Transition book As of October 2020 |
During an incident requiring a coordinated federal response, CESER activates the Energy Response Organization (ERO) to manage ESF #12 activities, including deployment of DOE ESF #12 responders and sector engagement. As the lead for ESF #12, CESER works with Energy Sector partners to:
- Assess the impacts of a disaster on local and regional energy infrastructure.
- Provide situational awareness updates to Federal, state, and private sector partners.
- Facilitate legal and regulatory waivers to accelerate restoration of damaged energy systems.
- Provide technical expertise on energy damage assessment, restoration, and logistical assistance.
To fulfill DOE’s ESF #12 responsibilities, CESER trains and manages a cadre of volunteer ESF #12 responders, from DOE sites across the Nation. Upon activation of ESF #12 by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) or at the request from a State, DOE deploys responders to the FEMA National Response Coordination Center, FEMA Regional Response Coordination Centers, and/or FEMA Joint Field Offices and State Emergency Operations Centers. Each FEMA Region is represented by an ESF #12 Regional Coordinator, who maintains regular contact and supports planning efforts with regional and State counterparts. Additionally, a subset of ESF #12 responders are part of the ESF #12 Catastrophic Incident Response Team (CIRT) to respond to catastrophic incidents and remote locations. CIRT members are experienced responders, mainly from the Power Marketing Administrations, who can be deployed when DOE needs to provide in-depth expertise to support damage assessments and restoration planning. For incidents that do not require a full coordinated Federal response, DOE supports and coordinates with industry as the sector-specific agency (SSA).
Energy Sector Cyber Incident Response Coordination
CESER also coordinates DOE’s response to cyber incidents impacting or potentially impacting the Energy Sector. Per PPD 41 and the National Cyber Incident Response Plan (NCIRP), there are four key lines of effort during a coordinated federal cyber response:
- Threat Response led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
- Asset Response led by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
- Intelligence Support led by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
- SSA Coordination For an Energy Sector cyber incident that requires a coordinated response, CESER will activate the DOE Cyber Crisis Action Team (Cyber CAT), with support from the Office of Electricity (OE); Office of Intelligence and Counterintelligence (IN); and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (OCIO). The Cyber CAT also coordinates with the interagency partners, including a Unified Command Group convened per PPD-41. CESER serves as DOE’s representative to the Cyber Response Group.
Sector Specific Agency
As the SSA for the Energy Sector, DOE executes responsibilities through a system outlined in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), which facilitates interaction and cooperation between government and industry partners. Under the NIPP, each of the 16 critical infrastructure sectors has a Government Coordinating Council (GCC), consisting of government entities with responsibilities for the sector, and a Sector Coordinating Council (SCC)—a self-organized and self-governed group comprised of sector industry representatives and their designated trade associations. The Electricity Subsector Coordinating Council (ESCC) and Oil and Natural Gas Subsector Coordinating Council (ONGSCC) provide a mechanism for industry-government coordination during emergency response based on steady state relationships, joint response preparation activities, and critical infrastructure security and resilience coordination and planning.
DOE Emergency and Incident Management Council
The DOE Emergency and Incident Management Council (EIMC), serves as the principal forum for DOE senior leadership to provide strategic guidance and priorities for all-hazards incident coordination and unity of effort across DOE. The EIMC is chaired by the Deputy Secretary of Energy. Primary members of the EIMC include principals from each office in the DOE Emergency Management Enterprise, including components of the National Nuclear Security Administration. Advisory members of the EIMC are included as needed and are comprised of the relevant support offices.
DOE Primary Mission Essential Function #3
DOE is responsible for three Primary Mission Essential Functions (PMEFs) in support of the eight National Essential Functions (NEFs). DOE PMEF #3 is to “continuously monitor and manage the National Energy Infrastructure and execute incident management responsibilities under the National Response Framework, to include responding to energy infrastructure disruptions, to ensure rapid recovery of energy supplies.” DOE PMEF #3 is supported by six DOE Mission Essential Functions (MEFs) managed by CESER, OE, the Office of Fossil Energy (FE), and the Energy Information Administration (EIA), in coordination with IN and other DOE offices, as well as interagency and industry partners, as appropriate. The Office of Electricity is the lead for PMEF#3.In response to COVID-19, DOE PMEF #3 established a unified Incident Command Structure (ICS) to ensure coordinated actions across the supporting offices, and to ensure unity of effort during DOE incident response .