Employees at major power plants and utilities might soon be required to submit to FBI background checks if a new bill becomes law. Currently, only workers at nuclear power plants are required undergo background checks. The legislation, introduced last week by New York’s Senator Charles Schumer is designed to protect America’s power and utility infrastructure against attacks. “Power plants and utilities present a tempting and potentially catastrophic target to extremists who are bent on wreaking havoc on the United States” said Schumer, “which is why thorough background checks on all workers with access to the most sensitive areas of these operations are a must”
The new legislation was prompted by a Department of Homeland Security report in July warning of threats to America’s utilities. The report, titled “Insider Threat to Utilities”, analyzed the risks of disgruntled current and former employees using their inside knowledge to damage or disrupt the operations of utilities and power plants. According to the report, there has already been multiple instances of current and former employees posing a physical threat the utility infrastructure. In one case, a recently laid off former employee at a natural gas utility broke into a monitoring station and intentionally disrupted gas service for an hour.
In addition to physical threats to power and utilities, the report also warns of cyber attacks trying to disrupt service. Current employees, contractors, and other workers often have both intimate knowledge of the information technology systems of plants and can access the vulnerable systems without raising suspicion. However, power and utility employees do not have to have malicious intentions to help commit a cyberattack. Individuals with access to plant systems can inadvertently enable an attack through using portable hard drives which have been infected with malware.
There is also a risk of outsiders soliciting information on power and utility plants from employees. This information could be used by extremists to help plan future attacks. In August 2010, a man was able to enter a North Carolina wastewater treatment plant building by posing as a member of the Army Corps of Engineers and attempted to learn about the plant’s operations by questioning workers on duty. He man was never identified or caught.
If the bill is signed into law, it will likely have a major impact on employment at power and utility plants around the country by making the hiring process slower and more expensive. However, protecting America’s infrastructure could be well worth the price.
