Foreign agents bent on bringing down the United States obtain a thumb drive, which obtains a complicated computer code. This code, when the drive is inserted into a computer connected to the electrical grid, crashes the system and sends major U.S. into waves of rolling blackouts.
This is the plot of Gridlock, the latest novel by former Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and David Hagberg, but it could well be a real-life scenario brought on by an attack on the United States.
The Diplomatic Courier sat down with Senator Dorgan to discuss Gridlock and the issues that informed and inspired the novel.
***
[DC:] How did your time as a U.S. Senator serve as an inspiration for some of the scenarios in Gridlock?
[BD:] My work in the Congress on energy issues gave me a good background on the technical side of our electric power grid and that helped in writing the book. But I did not connect it to any specific scenarios.
[DC:] You have been a strong advocate of building the U.S.’s capabilities in clean and renewable energy. Do you think the U.S. is on the right track currently with developing these capabilities? What more needs to be done to make the industry self-sustaining?
[BD:] We need a stronger push for more renewable and clean energy. I strongly support a national renewable electricity standard of 20 percent, which would drive more development of renewable energy.
[DC:] As the former Senator from North Dakota, you have surely seen the huge growth opportunities that the Bakken Oil Fields have provided. Do you see domestic oil production—including natural gas—as a competitor to renewable energy sources, or as a partner?
[BD:] The increased production of oil and gas in America is a good thing. We were importing nearly 60 percent of the oil we needed in our economy. That has decreased to about 40 percent. That is positive news. But that does not eliminate the need for our country to continue to emphasize the production of more clean and renewable energy.
[DC:] As the globe faces rising food prices and general food insecurity, do you believe biofuels such as corn-based ethanol are still a good investment?
[BD:] I still strongly support the development of bio-fuels. It has been a success story. As we move toward second generation bio-fuels using cellulosic feedstock it will play an even greater role for our country.
[DC:] In Gridlock, foreign agents are able to take down the U.S. electric grid, causing blackouts in major U.S. cities, with just a thumbdrive. Is this a feasible scenario? How worried should we be about this possibility?
[BD:] We should be worried about protecting our electric grid system. Reports from the National Science Foundation and others describe the new cyber threat that exists to our grid system. They conclude that our electric grid is vulnerable to cyber attacks and that we need to strengthen the system and protect it against these new threats.
[DC:] Are there other major infrastructure systems that are as vulnerable to cyberterrorism as the electric grid? If so, what can be done to improve them?
[BD:] Yes! Although the electric grid system is often pointed to as the vulnerable link, it is also possible that cyber-attacks against water delivery systems, transportation systems, and more could do great damage to our country.
[DC:] In your opinion, what is the most important issue Congress can focus on right now?
[BD:] In addition to the important needs to protect our national security, the President and Congress need to begin working together to boost our economic growth and put people back to work. There is not a social program as important as a good job that pays well. We have an economic recovery that is too slow, and we have too many Americans out of work. The American people expect those in public office will worry more about the future of their country than the future of their political party.
Photo by Justin Hoch.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's September/October 2013 print edition.
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Q&A with Senator Byron Dorgan on "Gridlock"
October 7, 2013
Foreign agents bent on bringing down the United States obtain a thumb drive, which obtains a complicated computer code. This code, when the drive is inserted into a computer connected to the electrical grid, crashes the system and sends major U.S. into waves of rolling blackouts.
This is the plot of Gridlock, the latest novel by former Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) and David Hagberg, but it could well be a real-life scenario brought on by an attack on the United States.
The Diplomatic Courier sat down with Senator Dorgan to discuss Gridlock and the issues that informed and inspired the novel.
***
[DC:] How did your time as a U.S. Senator serve as an inspiration for some of the scenarios in Gridlock?
[BD:] My work in the Congress on energy issues gave me a good background on the technical side of our electric power grid and that helped in writing the book. But I did not connect it to any specific scenarios.
[DC:] You have been a strong advocate of building the U.S.’s capabilities in clean and renewable energy. Do you think the U.S. is on the right track currently with developing these capabilities? What more needs to be done to make the industry self-sustaining?
[BD:] We need a stronger push for more renewable and clean energy. I strongly support a national renewable electricity standard of 20 percent, which would drive more development of renewable energy.
[DC:] As the former Senator from North Dakota, you have surely seen the huge growth opportunities that the Bakken Oil Fields have provided. Do you see domestic oil production—including natural gas—as a competitor to renewable energy sources, or as a partner?
[BD:] The increased production of oil and gas in America is a good thing. We were importing nearly 60 percent of the oil we needed in our economy. That has decreased to about 40 percent. That is positive news. But that does not eliminate the need for our country to continue to emphasize the production of more clean and renewable energy.
[DC:] As the globe faces rising food prices and general food insecurity, do you believe biofuels such as corn-based ethanol are still a good investment?
[BD:] I still strongly support the development of bio-fuels. It has been a success story. As we move toward second generation bio-fuels using cellulosic feedstock it will play an even greater role for our country.
[DC:] In Gridlock, foreign agents are able to take down the U.S. electric grid, causing blackouts in major U.S. cities, with just a thumbdrive. Is this a feasible scenario? How worried should we be about this possibility?
[BD:] We should be worried about protecting our electric grid system. Reports from the National Science Foundation and others describe the new cyber threat that exists to our grid system. They conclude that our electric grid is vulnerable to cyber attacks and that we need to strengthen the system and protect it against these new threats.
[DC:] Are there other major infrastructure systems that are as vulnerable to cyberterrorism as the electric grid? If so, what can be done to improve them?
[BD:] Yes! Although the electric grid system is often pointed to as the vulnerable link, it is also possible that cyber-attacks against water delivery systems, transportation systems, and more could do great damage to our country.
[DC:] In your opinion, what is the most important issue Congress can focus on right now?
[BD:] In addition to the important needs to protect our national security, the President and Congress need to begin working together to boost our economic growth and put people back to work. There is not a social program as important as a good job that pays well. We have an economic recovery that is too slow, and we have too many Americans out of work. The American people expect those in public office will worry more about the future of their country than the future of their political party.
Photo by Justin Hoch.
This article was originally published in the Diplomatic Courier's September/October 2013 print edition.
