Multiple power substations have been the target of deliberate attacks in recent months both in the pacific northwest and nationally.
Two men in Washington state were charged in connection with attacks on substations in Pierce County over the Christmas holiday. Also in December, thousands of North Carolina customers lost power because of an attack.
Now utility companies in Oregon are asking lawmakers for help.
"We are really good at operating the grid. We are really good at protecting our infrastructure. But we don't have intelligence-gathering capability. We don't have a standing army. We don't have some of the things that government can bring to the table," Scott Aaronson, the Senior Vice President of security and preparedness at the Edison Electric Institute, told lawmakers during a hearing on Thursday.
We need to have a baseline level of security, but we can not pretend that regulations and standards equate to security ... [this] is not a check-the-box exercise.
During the hearing, he asked lawmakers to look into whether there is a need to impose stricter penalties for people who intentionally damage critical infrastructure, like substations.
"This isn't vandalism, this isn't something that is just going to affect one facility. It could potentially impact the ability for people downstream to receive electricity, and that could have an impact on the health and safety of entire communities. So we have to treat it accordingly," he said.