Energy Sector:

Harmonizing Security Cost Recovery (SCR) Programs for Critical Infrastructure Investments in the National Capital Region

• View the Day's Agenda (PDF)
• One-Page Workshop Flier (PDF)

The Senior Policy Group (SPG) of the Office of the National Capital Region Coordination (ONCRC) and George Mason University’s Critical Infrastructure Protection Program held the first-ever Security Cost Recovery Workshop on October 6, 2005 to discuss possible initial steps in the development of a single, harmonized legislative and regulatory program to encourage capital and operational expenditures in security in the National Capital Region. The workshop was a result of one of several findings and recommendations that evolved from the National Capital Region-Critical Infrastructure Project (NCR-CIP) . The SPG members, George Foresman, Assistant to the Governor, Office of Commonwealth Preparedness, Virginia, Tom Lockwood, Director, ONCRC, DHS, Edward Reiskin, Deputy Mayor, Office of Public Safety and Justice, District of Columbia, Dennis Schrader, Director, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security, Maryland participated in this meeting. Other participants included, John McCarthy, Director, Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, George Mason University, Karen Smith, Commissioner, Maryland Public Service Commission, and representatives from D.C. Public Service Commission, DHS, DOE, FERC, Military District of D.C., Virginia State Corporate Commission, Virginia Tech, and Zeichner Risk Analytics.

In 2002, the National Capital Region’s Eight Commitments to Action identified critical infrastructure protection as a high priority of homeland security strategy and required that public and private sector work in partnership to identify and set protection priorities and guidelines for infrastructure assets and services in the NCR. Additionally, it also encouraged citizen involvement, collaborative decision making, exercises that are inclusive of all levels of government and other private and non-profit partners as appropriate. The following year, the NCR Urban Area Homeland Security Strategy set strategic objectives to reduce the NCR’s vulnerability to terrorism and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do occur – both critical infrastructure protection (CIP) objectives.

With this focus, the SPG of the NCR directed an initiative funded by the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Grant Program and Department of Justice Community Oriented Policing (COPS) to support regional CIP. The initiative, the NCR-CIP, was undertaken by the Critical Infrastructure Protection Program of the George Mason University School of Law and a consortium of regional universities.