Photo courtesy of the press office of Rep. Richard Hudson
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Richard Hudson (NC-09) released the following statement in recognition of the upcoming one year anniversary of the Moore County attack:
“One year ago, our community was intentionally attacked. While the days following the attack were difficult, I am so proud of how our community came together in the face of adversity.
“Over the last year, I have focused on leading discussions and advancing legislation at the federal level to improve our grid resilience, harden our infrastructure, and strengthen our energy supply chain—not just here in the Sandhills, but across the country. We have been making great strides, and I will not stop fighting for grid security and energy independence in Washington. No community across the country should experience what our community endured.
“I want to thank Moore County Sheriff Ronnie Fields and our local law enforcement for their quick response during those dark days, and for their ongoing investigations to determine who is responsible for last December’s attack. We must hold those responsible for this act accountable and I will continue to support law enforcement as they conduct their investigation.”
Timeline of Rep. Hudson’s Actions to Secure the Energy Grid:
December 2022: Rep. Hudson toured Duke Energy power substation which was attacked and received a briefing on the recent power outages in Moore County.
January 2023: Rep. Hudson organized a classified briefing from the FBI for Members of Congress on attacks targeting US electrical infrastructure.
February 2023: Rep. Hudson urged the Department of Energy to provide fair and prompt consideration of the North Carolina Electric Membership Corporations application to the Grid Resilience and Innovation Partnerships Topic Area 2 Grant Competition.
March 2023: Rep. Hudson cosponsored and voted in favor of H.R. 1, the Lower Energy Costs Act, legislation to lower energy costs for Americans, remove the bureaucratic red tape holding our energy industry back, and unleash America’s energy independence.
May 2023: Rep. Hudson reintroduced the Widening Opportunities to Recapture Key Energy Roles (WORKER) Act, bipartisan legislation that will supercharge America’s energy workforce by urging the Department of Energy to award grants to stakeholders prioritizing education and training for energy and manufacturing jobs. The bill would also prioritize educating and training workers from underrepresented groups, including minorities, women, and veterans.
June 2023: Rep. Hudson introduced the Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, legislation to repeal the Department of Energy’s authority to propose, finalize, implement, administer, or enforce any energy efficiency standard for distribution transformers for the next five years.
June 2023: Rep. Hudson and members of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security held a field hearing in Moore County. At the hearing, the members discussed physical and cybersecurity issues facing the electricity sector, power outage incident response and recovery, and emergency coordination among State and local governments and the electric industry. Watch the field hearing.
June 2023: Prior to the Moore County field hearing, Rep. Hudson and committee members toured the Duke Energy West End substation, one of two substations in Moore County that was intentionally attacked on the evening of December 3, 2022.
July 2023: Rep. Hudson joined the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing that addressed the security challenges that currently threaten the electricity sector, and discussed emerging and existing threats to America’s electric energy infrastructure.
September 2023: Hudson’s energy grid security legislation H.R. 4167, Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, was included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Energy, Climate, and Grid Security Subcommittee legislative hearing.
October 2023: Hudson’s Protecting America’s Distribution Transformer Supply Chain Act, passed out of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Energy, Climate, and Grid Security. Next, the legislation will be voted on by the full Energy and Commerce Committee before moving to the House floor.
At the end of October, Hudson secured $1.6 billion in funding to bolster grid security that was included in the final version of H.R. 4394, the Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Bill for Fiscal Year 2024. For an outline of this funding, click here.
The investigation into the attacks remains ongoing, and the $100,000 reward remains available for any information that could lead to an arrest in the case with Moore County, the FBI, the North Carolina Governor’s Office, and Duke Energy each offering $25,000. Individuals with information are encouraged to call the Moore County Sheriff’s Office tip line at (910) 947-4444, the FBI at 1-800-CALLFBI, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov.