PRINTER'S NO. 1239
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
245
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY DUSH, BAKER, COHEN, CUTLER, ELLIS, LONGIETTI,
McNEILL, MURT, READSHAW, SANKEY, MAHONEY, GILLEN AND FARINA,
APRIL 16, 2015
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON CONSUMER AFFAIRS, APRIL 16, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Urging the Congress of the United States to take action to
provide for the security and resilience of the nation's
electric grid.
WHEREAS, Our national defense, communications, economic
institutions, hospitals, law enforcement and consumers as well
as countless other critical operations and infrastructures
depend upon a reliable electric grid, yet the Federal Government
has not adequately prepared for its security; and
WHEREAS, A robust national electric grid is a fundamental
component of American society and is critical to the maintenance
of economic and social stability in the United States; and
WHEREAS, A disruption to the electric grid from an
electromagnetic pulse (EMP), whether natural or manmade, poses a
threat to the integrity of the national electric grid; and
WHEREAS, A failure of the national electric grid would
threaten the health, safety and welfare of all Americans; and
WHEREAS, In 2001, the Congress of the United States
established the Congressional EMP Commission to analyze EMPs,
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the nation's vulnerability to them and its ability to respond to
an EMP threat; and
WHEREAS, The commission reported that terrorists or
unfriendly state actors could stage an EMP attack with nuclear
weapons; and
WHEREAS, The Federal Government has jurisdiction over the
interstate power transmission lines yet has largely neglected to
fortify our electric grid against EMPs or similar disruptions;
and
WHEREAS, The protection and continued integrity of the
electric grid is essential to the security and continued
prosperity of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the United
States; and
WHEREAS, Strengthening and modernizing the national electric
grid will enhance the United States' ability to withstand and
recover from an EMP event; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of
Pennsylvania urge the Congress of the United States to take
action to provide for the security and resilience of the
nation's electric grid; and be it further
RESOLVED, That certified copies of this resolution be
transmitted by the Chief Clerk to the President of the United
States, the President of the United States Senate and the
Speaker of the United States House of Representatives; and be it
further
RESOLVED, That certified copies of this resolution be
transmitted to the Secretary of the United States Department of
Homeland Security, the Secretary of the United States Department
of Energy, the Secretary of the United States Department of
Defense and the Secretary of the United States Department of
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Transportation.
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