U.S. Rep. Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) continues to sound the alarm when it comes to the vulnerability of the nation’s essential infrastructure to potential cyberattacks.
During a recent House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing, Palmer discussed the urgency when it comes to protecting critical infrastructure. Palmer was recently named as Chairman of the the Subcommittee on Environment.
“But back in 2021 we had a ransomware attack on on the Colonial Pipeline, which was in my district, and there have been multiple attacks at various health care facilities around the country and and it’s more pipeline network center become part of that equation,” Palmer said. “The threat of another attack is very much a real possibility, whether it’s fuel line like the Colonial Pipeline or other pipelines.”
Palmer also brought up the looming threat of cyberattacks from foreign adversaries, China in particular.
“We know if these are just in the ransomware attack situation with Colonial Pipeline, that was just people trying to extort money,” he said. “Do we have nation state involved in this or, or, or people who are being given Safe Harbor, as we know they are, and China and Russia and other places to launch these attacks?”
Palmer emphasized the need to make this issue a “top priority.”
“My concern about this transcends the pipelines,” he said. “I mean, it’s the critical infrastructure across the country that could be subject to a cyberattack, whether it’s a ransomware attack or, you know, from a state sponsored terrorist group. I mean, it could be, could be anything. And I think that our our grid in its totality, not just the power grid, but the entire totality of the grid, whether it’s pipelines or power, we’ve got to make this a very serious issue, a top priority.”
.@USRepGaryPalmer points out the need to ensure our pipelines are safe from cyberattacks.
It’s critical that our nation’s energy infrastructure is secure against hostile attacks. pic.twitter.com/ZPAZfTENjS
— Energy and Commerce Committee (@HouseCommerce) July 22, 2025
Yaffee is a contributing writer to Yellowhammer News and hosts “The Yaffee Program” weekdays 9-11 a.m. on WVNN. You can follow him on X @Yaffee
