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NASEO Energy Data & Security Committee

From the National Governor's Association's Comprehensive National Energy Policy statement NR-18

Adopted Annual Meeting 2001

18.7 Energy Emergency Preparedness

States have played a unique and important role in response to past energy crises and must maintain their ability to meet their responsibilities to mitigate the effects of future supply disruptions or shortages. It is imperative that states and the federal government develop strategies for responding to a broad variety of possible energy and electricity emergencies. Initial efforts should focus on strategies to prevent emergencies from occurring. Efforts to diversify our energy systems while maximizing our use of cost-effective domestic energy resources are part of this long-term effort. Additional efforts must focus on planning the response federal and state governments would take if an energy or electricity emergency occurs. Any federal actions must give consideration to existing state laws and programs, and state and local officials must be included in any federal planning process.

Voluntary conservation should be preferred to mandatory measures whenever possible. Any mandatory response should be phased in, beginning with the least stringent measures, with rationing reserved for only the most severe shortage.

To facilitate emergency preparedness, the Governors support the following measures.

• It is essential that integrated emergency response plans and procedures be developed and well tested to ensure the coordination and flow of information among energy suppliers; consumers; and federal, state, and local governments. 
• Fuel switching capability for large energy users to reduce dependence upon a single fuel source should be encouraged. 
• A timely official review of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) should be undertaken by Congress and the Administration to determine its ideal size. The Administration also should establish more specific criteria for determining when the SPR should be tapped, taking into account regional reserves. 
• Upon a Governor's declaration of an energy or electricity emergency, non-exempt federal facilities within a state should be required to reduce their energy consumption by at least 10 percent from the previous year's consumption, for the duration of the emergency.

Time limited (effective Annual Meeting 2001-Annual Meeting 2003).

See: http://www.nga.org/nga/legislativeUpdate/1,1169,C_POLICY_POSITION^D_2445,00.html 

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