The House of Representatives approved a bill by voice vote...

amends the Power Act to require the president or Energy secretary to notify Congress when a threat triggers the commission’s authority to act. It discontinues any emergency measure ordered by the commission within a year. It also forces the commission to request and consider recommendations by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation before addressing grid security vulnerability. The bill gives the president more flexibility in designating critical defense facilities and clarifies that grid security threats and vulnerabilities can affect non-programmable electronic devices. “The electric grid’s vulnerability to cyber and other attacks is one of the single greatest threats to our national security,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass. “Every one of our nation’s critical systems -- defense, water, health care, telecommunications, transportation, law enforcement, and financial services -- depends on the grid. This bipartisan legislation is critical to protecting the United States against this emerging threat."