North American Electric Reliability Corporation; Order Approving Reliability Standard CIP-014-4

Document Headings Document headings vary by document type but may contain the following: the agency or agencies that issued and signed a document the number of the CFR title and the number of each part the document amends, proposes to amend, or is directly related to the agency docket number / agency internal file number the RIN which identifies each regulatory action listed in the Unified Agenda of Federal Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions See the Document Drafting Handbook for more details. Department of Energy Federal Energy Regulatory Commission [RD26-9-000] 1. On July 16, 2026, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), the Commission-certified Electric Reliability Organization (ERO), submitted a petition seeking approval of proposed Reliability Standard CIP-014-4 (Physical Security). NERC also requests approval of the associated implementation plan, violation risk factors, and violation severity levels, as well as the retirement of the currently effective Reliability Standard CIP-014-3. [ 1 ] For the reasons discussed below, pursuant to section 215(d)(2) of the Federal Power Act (FPA), [ 2 ] we grant the requested approvals. I. Background A. Section 215 and Mandatory Reliability Standards 2. Section 215 of the FPA provides that the Commission may certify an ERO, the purpose of which is to establish and enforce Reliability Standards, subject to Commission review and approval. [ 3 ] Once approved, the Reliability Standards may be enforced by the ERO, subject to Commission oversight, or by the Commission independently. [ 4 ] Pursuant to section 215 of the FPA, the Commission established a process to select and certify an ERO  [ 5 ] and subsequently certified NERC as the ERO. [ 6 ] B. Physical Security Reliability Standards 3. In Order No. 802, issued in November 2014, the Commission approved the Physical Security Reliability Standard CIP-014-1. [ 7 ] The stated purpose of the currently effective version of the Physical Security Reliabili…