States work to protect electric grid from solar storms and nuclear attacks

Published December 20, 2015

States are working to protect their electrical grids from solar storms and nuclear attacks, frustrated by federal inaction to do the same.

Fearful of the deadly consequences of an electromagnetic pulse, should one hit the electrical grid, states have taken the protection of their residents into their own hands.

An EMP is a wave of energy with the ability to disrupt electrical signals. If the Earth’s atmosphere were hit by the energy from a large enough solar flare, or a nuclear bomb were detonated high enough in the sky, it would create an EMP with enough force to disable the electrical grid in many parts of the world.

In 2011, the National Association for Regulatory Utility Commissioners passed a resolution to understand the threat affecting the utilities under their jurisdiction and to advocate for federal investment into researching solutions to the problem.

In January, the Washington Examiner reported at least 12 states had begun to demand that electrical companies make the necessary upgrades to protect their systems.

Maine, Virginia, Florida, Texas, New York, Oklahoma and Alaska, for example, have all either passed their own initiatives to require utilities to upgrade their systems, or to pressure the federal government to do the same.

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URL

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/states-work-to-protect-electric-grid-from-solar-storms-and-nuclear-attacks