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JOINT RESOLUTION TO HARDEN THE UTAH AND

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UNITED STATES ELECTRICAL GRIDS

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2019 GENERAL SESSION

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STATE OF UTAH

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Chief Sponsor: Lee B. Perry

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Senate Sponsor: Lincoln Fillmore

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8     LONG TITLE
9     General Description:
10          This joint resolution of the Legislature encourages Utah's state and congressional
11     delegations to continue supporting legislation and practices that enhance electrical grid
12     security against natural, accidental, or intentional occurrences, including disruption
13     from electromagnetic pulses, that could potentially interrupt reliable electricity services.
14     Highlighted Provisions:
15          This resolution:
16          ▸     acknowledges safeguarding Utah's electrical infrastructure as a shared function of
17     the federal and state government;
18          ▸     acknowledges the threats to Utah's and the United States' electrical grids from
19     natural, accidental, and intentional occurrences, such as disruption from
20     electromagnetic pulses, that could potentially interrupt reliable electricity services;
21          ▸     references government-commissioned studies that illustrate the capabilities and
22     consequences of such occurrences on civil society; and
23          ▸     supports Utah's continued investment in public policy, technologies, and federal
24     regulatory drills and standards that promote a resilient and reliable electrical grid
25     and will ultimately contribute to the economic development of the state and
26     well-being of all Utahns.
27     Special Clauses:

28          None
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30     Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
31          WHEREAS, protecting our electrical infrastructure is a vital function of the federal and
32     state governments benefitting all citizens;
33          WHEREAS, Utah Code Section 63M-4-301, State Energy Policy, instructs that Utah
34     shall have adequate, reliable, affordable, sustainable, and clean energy resources;
35          WHEREAS, pro-actively supporting the importance of a resilient and reliable electrical
36     grid is congruent with Utah's State Energy Policy;
37          WHEREAS, the United States' electrical infrastructure is vulnerable to damage from
38     natural, accidental, and intentional occurrences, including electromagnetic pulses, that could
39     potentially interrupt reliable electricity services;
40          WHEREAS, studies commissioned by the United States Task Force on National and
41     Homeland Security, the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and the
42     National Conference of State Legislatures have found that cyberterrorist and physical terrorist
43     attacks could potentially produce electromagnetic interference;
44          WHEREAS, the aforementioned studies also point to the grave consequences that such
45     interference could have for civil society;
46          WHEREAS, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, as designated by the
47     Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, regularly proposes mandatory and enforceable
48     reliability standards for physical and cybersecurity for critical electrical infrastructure
49     protection;
50          WHEREAS, the Department of Energy has been given the authority pursuant to the
51     Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-94, to order electric
52     utilities and the North American Electric Reliability Corporation to implement emergency
53     security actions;
54          WHEREAS, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation organizes a two-day
55     security exercise, GridEx, every two years to test the electricity sector's ability to respond to
56     grid security emergencies caused by cyber and physical attacks; and
57          WHEREAS, continued participation in grid security exercises, updates to security
58     standards, and investment in technologies that enhance the resiliency and reliability of Utah's

59     electrical infrastructure are likely to attract businesses and industries that wish to safeguard
60     their data, enhancing Utah's economy:
61          NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah calls
62     upon its congressional and state delegations to ensure state and national participation and
63     support of the next GridEx drill in 2019, be informed and ready to implement North American
64     Electric Reliability Corporation reliability standards when they are released or updated, and
65     encourage electric utilities operating in Utah to be prepared to upgrade or replace infrastructure
66     in order to safeguard against natural, accidental, or intentional occurrences, such as
67     electromagnetic pulses, that could potentially interrupt reliable electricity services.
68          BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the members of
69     Utah's congressional delegation requesting their support of hardening the electrical grids of
70     Utah and the United States.