Midwest Regional Energy Assurance Exercise

June 6-7, 2005 - Indianapolis, IN

The Midwest Regional Energy Assurance Exercise, titled Blue Sand, will take place June 6-7, 2005, in Indianapolis Indiana. The exercise is co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE); Office of Electricity and Energy Assurance (OE); the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO); National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC); National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL); and National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA). Participants will include state energy offices, public utility commissions, governors’ representatives, legislators, and others from FEMA regions five and seven as well as Kentucky. Workshop goals include:

Facilitate communication within the regions and enhance the “network” of state and regional contacts
Build relationships among federal, state, and private-sector participants to better understand organizational roles and improve communications during an emergency
Examine and “test” the legal and regulatory authorities within the regions and identify potential gaps
Explore infrastructure and organizational interdependencies and identify potential vulnerabilities
Demonstrate visualization tools and quick turnaround energy analysis capabilities of OE and National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)
Educate participants about energy assurance planning, use of the energy assurance guidelines, and the value of the Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinators (EEAC)
Exercise the EEAC communication capability and test existing state plans
Suggest areas for improvement in the Energy Assurance Guidelines

Participation in the exercise is by invitation only and free, but we are requiring that everyone register. Follow the links below for additional information and to register:

If you have questions about the exercise, please contact Nebiat Solomon at NASEO at 703-299-8800, ext. 13, or by email at nsolomon@naseo.org.