"This legislation would direct the Secretary of Energy to implement a program that helps ensure the physical security and cybersecurity of our oil and natural gas pipelines", the release said on Thursday.
The bill empowers the Energy Department to direct responses to cyber incidents while boosting efforts to develop innovative cybersecurity technologies, the release said.
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The lawmakers said under the threat of possible foreign attacks the legislation represents a crucial measure to make the system of pipelines more resilient and secure.
Senator Amy Klobuchar and other lawmakers have said in a letter to the Department of Homeland Security and National Security Agency that the recent US government shutdown took a toll on government cybersecurity and gave criminals the chance to carry out attacks against the United States.
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The security certificates are necessary to protect online communications from foreign adversaries and cybercriminals. Furloughed government employees responsible for the renewal of expired certificates were not able to achieve this task due to the shutdown.
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