Michael Ebert, Principal Research Associate

703-993-2288
mebert@gmu.edu

Michael E. Ebert joined the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program ("CIP Program") as Principal Research Associate on June 1, 2006, where his research focus is on energy delivery and reliability, critical infrastructure resilience and protection issues (particularly electric power), legal authorities for US Homeland Security, and information technology security.  Most of his work is funded by a grant from the National Energy Technology Laboratory, a Department of Energy National lab.  Since January 2005, Mr. Ebert was affiliated with CIPP as a research assistant with a similar research portfolio he now has been charged by CIPP's Director and Principal Investigator John McCarthy.  Mr. Ebert's projects have included the construction of an electric power outages dataset; observation and analysis of DOE Energy Emergency Response Exercises pursuant to DOE's Emergency Support Function 12 responsibilities; external assessments of DOE's responses to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita; statutory and regulatory analysis of provisions of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 that require establishment of an Electric Reliability Organization (ERO) which, with FERC approval establishes, audits and enforces mandatory reliability and cybersecurity standards for the bulk electric power industry; and on-going monitoring of ERO establishment activities.

During the summer and fall of 2006, Mr. Ebert lead a team of CIPP researchers who investigated post-Katrina/Rita policy innovation by state legislatures and public service commissions for storm cost recovery by electric utilities operating in the states of Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. He and his colleagues published the initial results of that project, "Electricity Reconstruction and Cost Recovery in Four Gulf Coast States After the Catastrophic Hurricanes of 2005," on September 29, 2006. The first phase of this research was presented to DOE's Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability on October 31, 2006, with an additional assessments slated for 2007 (http://cipp.gmu.edu/projects/DoE-NETL.php). He also has authored several short essays on energy issues for the CIP Program's monthly newsletter, most recently on education and training (http://cipp.gmu.edu/archive/cip_report_5.5.pdf). Mr. Ebert's other activities with the CIP Program include work for the US Department of Homeland Security regarding its legal authorities under the Homeland Security Act of 2002 with particular emphasis on the National Infrastructure Protection Program and "protected critical infrastructure information" that private sector owners-operators of critical infrastructure share voluntarily with DHS, DOE and other federal agencies.

Mr. Ebert holds a Master of Public Policy degree from George Mason University, a Bachelor's degree in political science and communications from Indiana University, and two certificates in Commercial and Workplace Mediation from the Northern Virginia Mediation Service, an independent organization affiliated with the Institute for Conflict Analysis & Resolution at George Mason University.  He has lived in the Washington, DC metropolitan area since 1986.  Prior to joining CIPP, he was a senior legislative assistant to US Representative Philip R. Sharp, former Chairman of the Energy & Power Subcommittee, senior counselor for congressional affairs at International Business – Government Counsellors, IT Director at the law firm of Howrey Simon Arnold & White LLP and an independent consultant in technology policy. He has written or co-authored articles on issues ranging from national security and foreign investment to the use of new technologies in post-9/11 America which have been published in The World Economy, The Washington Times, the European Business Journal, and the Journal of Commerce.