Johnson Introduces Bill to Require Federal Strategy to Protect Electric Grid

Press Release

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) on Thursday introduced legislation directing the federal government to prepare to protect critical infrastructure against threats of electromagnetic pulse (EMP) nuclear weapons and geomagnetic disturbances from solar "storms" -- and the strategy will be updated every two years.

Johnson introduced the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act the day after witnesses told the committee he chairs, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, that despite years of warnings little to nothing has been done to protect America's electric grid from the threat of electromagnetic disturbances.

Such disturbances can damage or disable power distribution systems. Solar weather caused by the bursts of charged particles periodically ejected by the sun could also cause a major collapse of the electric grid. Both threats can be mitigated if protective equipment is installed or if other critical procedures are taken when a threat is imminent.

In addition to requiring the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to prepare a strategy to protect critical infrastructure, Johnson's bill would require the DHS to research ways to mitigate the threat, including ways to quickly protect the grid and means of recovering from damage or disruption.

In 2008, the EMP Commission, a federal panel of experts, came up with a long list of recommendations for the departments of Homeland Security and Energy. Johnson asked witnesses at Wednesday's hearing whether the individual recommendations have been implemented. Responses consisted of varied forms of "no" as Johnson read down the list of standards.

We've been warned yet done nothing, Johnson summarized, "when, by the way, we spent 800 billion dollars in 2009 and 2010 on a stimulus package looking for shovel-ready projects. This would have been a pretty good shovel-ready project."

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