“I think the initial instinct of industry back when this first started a few years ago was, ‘Let us do many years of research and then order us to do something . . . And we said, ‘No, no, no. You’re going to get started sooner than that,’ and then we had to figure out what was the prudent thing to require — a no-regrets strategy.” ~ FERC Commissioner Cheryl LaFleur . . . No regrets for whom? Read Full Story
Two Idiomatic Meanings: 1) “To attempt to stay cheerful in a dire situation; to proceed with a task, ignoring an upcoming hazard, hoping for a good outcome;” or 2) ”To enter a situation with little or no understanding of the possible consequences.” . . . Take your pick. Read Full Story
“Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink . . . ” From the “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” by the 19th Century English Poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s in his lengthy 1798 poem, studied in my youth by all who took courses in English Literature. Read Full Story
“Like the leaders of other fascist states, the [Iranian] mullahs who have ruled the Islamic Republic have claimed universal authority in the name of their doctrine, not of their country. And they are prepared to die — along with their followers — to accomplish their mission. As Khomeini put it shortly after the occupation of the American Embassy in Tehran in 1979: ‘We do not worship Iran, we worship Allah . . . For patriotism is another name for paganism. I say, let this land burn. I say, let this land go up in smoke, provided Islam emerges triumphant in the rest of the world.’” ~ Retired Army Lt. General Michael Flynn and Dr. Michael Ledeen, The Field of Fight, St. Martin’s Press, 2016, p. 79-80. Read Full Story
“The President, the Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the States, the utilities and the private sector should work together on an urgent basis to enact Republican legislation, pending in both chambers, to protect the national grid and encourage states to take the initiative to protect their own grids expeditiously.” ~ Republican Party Platform—July 18, 2016 Read Full Story
“A single nuclear weapon detonated at high altitude over this country would collapse our electrical grid and other critical infrastructure and endanger the lives of millions. With North Korea in possession of nuclear missiles and Iran close to having them, an EMP is no longer a theoretical concern — it is a real threat. Moreover, China and Russia include sabotage as part of their warfare planning. Nonetheless, hundreds of electrical utility in the U.S. have not acted to protect themselves from EMP and they cannot be expected to do so voluntarily since homeland security is a government responsibility. The President, the Congress, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Defense, the States, the utilities and the private sector should work together on an urgent basis to enact Republican legislation, pending in both chambers, to protect the national grid and encourage states to take the initiative to protect their own grids expeditiously.” ~ Republican Party Platform—July 18, 2016 Read Full Story
“An electromagnetic (EM) attack (nuclear electromagnetic pulse [EMP] or non-nuclear EMP [e.g., high-power microwave, HPM]) has the potential to degrade or shut down portions of the electric power grid important to the DoD…. Restoring the commercial grid from the still functioning regions may not be possible or could take weeks or months.” Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) Press Release, June 24, 2016
“Journalists and commentators mainly on the political right, prompted partly by a government report in March, have been seeking to keep public attention on the possibility of a society-devastating electromagnetic pulse, or EMP. They focus mainly on a nuclear bomb as the cause.” ~ Steven T Corneliussen, Physics Today, 23 June 2016 Read Full Story
“In anticipating the event of a power grid going down . . . the process will have to be streamlined and rehearsed. During the time that it takes to alert and dispatch military personnel and to mobilize the National Guard, local and state police will need to immediately secure the stores and warehouses containing essential supplies that will otherwise be stripped bare in a matter of hours. The authority exists, but without the regular conduct of combined exercises specifically designed to respond to the aftermath of a grid going down, critical supplies will be gone before law enforcement even arrives on the scene . . .” ~ Ted Koppel, emphasis added. Read Full Story
Local and state initiatives are gaining momentum and potentially can prompt needed solutions to counter the existential threats posed by an indefinite loss of the electric power grid — today an all too real possibility. These “bottoms-up” initiatives offer hope to all Americans in spite of the lethargy among the “powers that be” who are failing at their sworn duty. Will the solutions come in time? Read Full Story
We will be adding key policy briefs as we progress.