Overnight Energy & Environment

Overnight Energy: 5 takeaways from the Colonial Pipeline attack | Colonial aims to ‘substantially’ restore pipeline operations by end of week | Three questions about Biden’s conservation goals

by Zack Budryk 05/10/21 06:48 PM ET

HAPPY MONDAY. Welcome to Overnight Energy, your source for the day’s energy and environment news.Please send tips and comments to Rachel Frazin at rfrazin@digital-staging.thehill.com . Follow her on Twitter: @RachelFrazin . Reach Zack Budryk at zbudryk@digital-staging.thehill.com or follow him on Twitter: @BudrykZack . Signup for our newsletter and others HERE.

Today it’s pipelines all the way down as we examine what you need to know about the cyberattack that’s halted operations at a pipeline serving 45 percent of people on the East Coast, plus a look at President Biden’s conservation plan.

ALL DOWN THE LINE: Colonial aims to ‘substantially’ restore pipeline operations by end of week

The Colonial Pipeline Company said that it hopes to “substantially” restore the operations of its pipeline by the end of the week following a ransomware attack that led to its shutdown.

It said in a statement that segments of the Colonial Pipeline, which transports oil from Texas to the East Coast, are being “brought back online in a stepwise fashion” and that its plan will take a “phased approach” for returns to service.

“This plan is based on a number of factors with safety and compliance driving our operational decisions, and the goal of substantially restoring operational service by the end of the week,” the statement said, noting that the company will provide updates on its progress.

The story so far: Colonial announced over the weekend that it would shut down the 5,500 mile-pipeline after a ransomware attack breached its IT system. It did so to prevent the attackers from accessing its operational technology.

The pipeline supplies about 45 percent of the East Coast’s fuel supply. Analysts told The Hill on Monday that the impacts of the shutdown would depend on how long the pipeline’s main segment remains offline.

THE WILD COLONIAL BOY: 5 takeaways from the Colonial Pipeline hack

Hack sparks fears of gas price increase
White House irritated by lack of control
Ransomware is a major growing threat
US energy vulnerabilities exposed
Biden under pressure amid cybersecurity threats

Read the details here.

KING’S RANSOM: Colonial Pipeline attack underscores US energy’s vulnerability

The ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline, the largest supplier of oil to the Northeast region of the United States, is underscoring just how vulnerable critical U.S. infrastructure is to cybercriminals in a way no previous attack has done, say U.S. officials and experts in the field.

The successful breach of Colonial Pipeline’s IT system forced the company to shut down 5,500 miles of pipelines to ensure hackers could not gain access to its operational technology.

The attack was shocking in some ways in that it illustrated how vulnerable a critical and large company such as Colonial Pipeline was to increasingly frequent ransom attacks.

What are the implications of the breach?: And it also showed such attacks have a far larger impact. The entire nation could see a rise in gas prices because of the attack on the pipeline, which carries around 45 percent of oil used on the East Coast and runs between Texas and New York.