Electromagnetic pulses and violent space weather
outbursts might seem like national security threats straight out of
science fiction. But the House Homeland Security Committee wants to
ensure federal agencies are doing their best to prepare for them.
During an
Oversight and Management Efficiency subcommittee hearing Tuesday,
legislators reviewed the possible ramifications that a man-made EMP
weapon, detonated nuclear device or even space weather phenomena could
have on the nation’s power grid. While seemingly remote, the threats
drew comparisons to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 and the
Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
While unlikely, being unprepared could mean loss of life and could be
devastating to the nation’s telecommunications and power grid,
lawmakers said. One report estimates the potential cost of a large-scale
solar storm, emanating from a large release of energy by the sun,
could exceed $2 trillion and leave large portions of the population without power for months or longer.
“Investigations determined the attack on Pearl Harbor was possible,
not probable,” said Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Ga. “Same thing for 9/11.”
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In fact, small-scale solar events have occurred before and caused damage to modern critical infrastructure.
In 1989, a geomagnetic storm shut down the Quebec Hydro Electricity Network for days and ultimately cost nearly $2 billion in damages.
Rep. Earl Carter, R-Ga., said EMP and space weather ought to be
treated “as a top priority,” but questioned whether federal officials
were taking it seriously, highlighting
a March report
by the Government Accountability Office. That report said there wasn’t a
single entity within the Homeland Security Department focused on
electromagnetic risks.
The White House’s National Space Weather Action Plan, published in
October, establishes responsibilities for agencies in the event of space
weather-related phenomena, but electromagnetic risks aren’t addressed
explicitly in that policy.
“I wouldn’t characterize it as a low priority,” said Brandon Wales,
director of DHS’ Office of Cyber and Infrastructure Analysis. “The Space
Weather Action Plan that applies across the agency demonstrates the
department is extremely focused on doing what it can.”
In
testimony Tuesday,
Chris Currie, GAO’s director of Homeland Security and Justice, said DHS
and the Energy Department were not duplicating work and had addressed
many of GAO’s March recommendations.
But while DOE and DHS are working together to determine what EMP
events would cause the most damage to power systems, Currie told the
subcommittee there was otherwise “little partnering between agencies.”
More industry engagement will also be important, he said, as the
nation’s telecommunications and power grid infrastructure is chiefly
owned by industry, not the government.
Included among that infrastructure are some 55,000 power substations
across the country, any of which could require up to a year of lead time
to replace. A single solar storm could knock out hundreds of them at
once.
“The industry argument is that we can’t protect each of these,” said
Joseph McClelland, director of the Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission’s Office of Energy Infrastructure.
McClelland argued assets should be focused around functionality –
prioritizing the stations that would be needed to provide skeletal
services to urban areas, for example.
In any case, McClelland suggested more collaboration is necessary in
the near future if the U.S. wants to mitigate against sophisticated
electromagnetic weaponry or Mother Nature gone mad.
“The United States is falling behind in EMP and space weather preparedness,” McClelland said.
The first notable solar flare of 2015, as observed from NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory.
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NASA/AP
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