PRINTER'S NO. 2924
No. 361 Session of 2001
INTRODUCED BY WOGAN, NOVEMBER 20, 2001
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, NOVEMBER 20, 2001
A RESOLUTION
1 Directing the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to conduct
2 a comprehensive study of the safety and security policies
3 adopted by utility service providers that protect critical
4 utility infrastructures, including operative and nonoperative
5 nuclear power plant facilities, private electric and natural
6 gas generating plants and independent electric system
7 operators and to recommend prudent strategies to enhance the
8 standards for the physical security of utility facilities
9 that create, possess, handle, store or transport energy in
10 this Commonwealth.
11 WHEREAS, The September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the
12 World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington,
13 D.C., and the plane crash in Somerset County, Pennsylvania,
14 clearly demonstrate that neither the United States nor the
15 Commonwealth is immune from orchestrated acts of terrorism; and
16 WHEREAS, The threats of potential terrorist attacks against
17 the United States' utility infrastructures create civil unrest
18 and are occurring more frequently since the September 11, 2001,
19 attack; and
20 WHEREAS, Maintaining the safety and integrity of the utility
21 infrastructures of this Commonwealth remains a high priority of
22 the General Assembly; and
1 WHEREAS, Terrorist attacks that incapacitate or destroy
2 utility infrastructure systems and operating systems compromise
3 the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of this
4 Commonwealth; and
5 WHEREAS, The protection of the critical utility
6 infrastructures in this Commonwealth is necessarily a shared
7 responsibility and partnership between owners, operators and
8 State Government; and
9 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is
10 responsible for developing energy forecasts, conducting audits,
11 enforcing the Public Utility Code and inspecting utility
12 facilities to assure the safe, reliable and adequate delivery of
13 utility service to the citizens of this Commonwealth; and
14 WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission is
15 responsible for evaluating programs that ensure the stability of
16 complex and interdependent utility systems in this Commonwealth
17 and for developing policy recommendations that support the
18 continuous operation of interconnected utility infrastructures;
19 and
20 WHEREAS, Any physical disruption of the operation of critical
21 utility infrastructures in this Commonwealth must be rare,
22 brief, geographically limited in effect, manageable and
23 minimally detrimental to the economy, human and government
24 services and the security of our State and nation; and
25 WHEREAS, The General Assembly deregulated Pennsylvania's
26 electricity market in 1996 and its natural gas market in 1999,
27 which resulted in privately owned and operated utility
28 generating facilities; and
29 WHEREAS, PJM Interconnection is a privately managed limited
30 liability corporation which operates the largest centrally
20010H0361R2924 - 2 -
1 controlled dispatched electric system in North America,
2 providing 23 million consumers in five states with reliable
3 electric service; and
4 WHEREAS, The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission
5 regulates commercial nuclear power reactors, nonpower research,
6 testing and training reactors, fuel cycle facilities, medical,
7 academic and industrial uses of nuclear materials and the
8 transport, storage and disposal of nuclear materials and waste;
9 therefore be it
10 RESOLVED, That the General Assembly direct the Pennsylvania
11 Public Utility Commission, in cooperation with other Federal and
12 State agencies, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission,
13 regulated public utilities, privately owned and municipally
14 owned utility companies and independent grid system operators to
15 conduct a comprehensive review and evaluation of the safety and
16 security policies implemented in and around the utility
17 infrastructures in this Commonwealth since the September 11,
18 2001, terrorist attack; and be it further
19 RESOLVED, That the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
20 analyze existing utility infrastructure protection and
21 continuity programs and utility-specific proposals to implement
22 counterterrorism threat assessment and risk mitigation policies;
23 and be it further
24 RESOLVED, That the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission
25 report its findings and recommendations to the House of
26 Representatives on or before July 15, 2002.
K19L82MRD/20010H0361R2924 - 3 -