Washington, DC - Last week, leaders from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate in a strategic partnership to advance federal critical infrastructure resilience. The partnership will result in the development and implementation of a systematic approach to planning and deploying projects and measures that will help reduce DHS energy use while strengthening the resilience and security of their facilities.

The signing ceremony took place at DHS headquarter offices with Ms. Leslie Nicholls, Acting Director for DOE's Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP) in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, and Dr. Teresa Pohlman, DHS' Executive Director, Sustainability and Environmental Programs in the Office of the Chief Readiness Support Officer.

The federal government is the nation's largest single energy consumer with more than 350,000 buildings and 600,000 vehicles. FEMP's mission includes assisting all federal agencies in achieving their energy management goals and developing an approach to planning for increased resiliency.

This partnership will address continuity of operations, energy and water efficiency in buildings, mobile/transportation assets, and information technologies and facilities. The partnership will permit the development of an agency-wide resilience framework and support implementation of the plan at DHS pilot sites. FEMP's long term goal for the partnership is to develop an integrated enterprise-wide system approach that all federal agencies can use to achieve their energy resilience and security missions by optimizing their facility operations and security, enhancing grid reliability, and conserving energy and water.

For DHS, resilience and security are inseparable from their mission to protect critical infrastructure. This strategic partnership will help enable all of their components, including the U.S. Coast Guard, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Border Patrol, and the Transportation Security Administration, to prepare for energy disruptions so they may adapt and withstand them at any level.