Bill Text: HI SCR193 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended


Bill Title: Urging The Office Of Homeland Security And Office Of Planning To Form A Critical Infrastructure And Resiliency Council, With Consultation From The Department Of Business, Economic Development, And Tourism.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 13-0)

Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-04-10 - Referred to EEP, FIN, referral sheet 53 [SCR193 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2018-SCR193-Amended.html

THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

193

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

S.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY AND OFFICE OF PLANNING TO FORM A CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE AND RESILIENCY COUNCIL, WITH CONSULTATION FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, AND TOURISM.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Hurricanes Irma and Maria devastated Puerto Rico, causing extensive damage to the island's electrical infrastructure, with recent estimates predicting that power in Puerto Rico will not be fully restored until spring of 2018, leaving some residents without power for half a year; and

 

     WHEREAS, the prolonged lack of electrical power has left the residents of Puerto Rico without essential services and has created a humanitarian crisis; and

 

     WHEREAS, interdependencies between different critical infrastructure sectors, including energy, water, transportation, and communications, underscore the need for systemic resiliency planning; and

 

     WHEREAS, as an island state, Hawaii is particularly susceptible to natural disasters, similar to the ones Puerto Rico recently faced; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency estimates that under a best-case scenario, it would take at least fourteen days after landfall of a category four hurricane on Oahu to restore eighty percent of grid power, but most public emergency shelters in the State do not have the capacity to provide two weeks of electrical service, and relief from the mainland is dependent upon a functioning airport and seaport; and

 

     WHEREAS, climate change means the number of extreme weather events like Hurricanes Irma and Maria will continue to increase; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism has sufficient funds to support a group focused on enhancing the critical infrastructure and grid resiliency in the State; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the House of Representatives concurring, that the policy of the State be to ensure that the State is prepared to withstand natural disasters and other emergencies and protect the State's critical infrastructure and its citizens by making investments in grid resiliency; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the goals of this resiliency policy are to:

 

     (1)  Prevent or reduce the severity of damage to the electric grid from a natural disaster or state of emergency;

 

     (2)  Enable faster recovery of normal grid operations after a grid outage due to a natural disaster or state of emergency; and

 

     (3)  Maintain critical loads at critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, fire stations, police stations, airports, and seaports during a grid outage due to a natural disaster or state of emergency; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in order to realize this resiliency policy, the Office of Homeland Security and Office of Planning are urged to form a Critical Infrastructure and Resiliency Council, with consultation and support from the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is requested to include the following members or their designees:

 

     (1)  The Director of Homeland Security, who is requested to serve as co-chair of the council;

 

     (2)  The Director of the Office of Planning, who is requested to serve as co-chair of the council;

 

     (3)  The Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency;

 

     (4)  The Director of Transportation;

 

     (5)  The Executive Officer of the Public Utilities Commission;

 

     (6)  The directors of each of the county emergency management agencies; and

 

     (7)  The directors of each of the county water supply departments; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is encouraged to invite representatives of the following entities or industries to join the Council:

 

     (1)  Each electric utility company operating in Hawaii;

 

     (2)  Each telecommunications company serving at least one hundred thousand customers in Hawaii;

 

     (3)  Each fuel importer and fuel refiner operating in Hawaii; and

 

     (4)  Each regulated interisland water carrier serving all islands; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is requested to:

 

     (1)  Establish strategies, goals, priorities, and recommendations to enhance the security and resiliency of the electric grid and other critical infrastructure sectors in the State, and give appropriate consideration to interdependencies between the sectors and to differing needs of communities based on location, access to resources, and vulnerabilities; and

 

     (2)  Assess the capacity and availability of existing resources and identify new sources of revenue necessary to enhance resiliency of critical infrastructure sectors; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council is requested to submit a report summarizing its findings, recommendations, and the status of actions to enhance electric grid and other critical infrastructure sector security and resiliency to the Governor, Legislature, and Mayor and County Council of each county no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2019, and every two years thereafter; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Homeland Security; Director of the Office of Planning; Director of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Director of Transportation; Administrator of the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency; Executive Officer of the Public Utilities Commission; directors of each of the county emergency management agencies; and directors of each of the county water supply departments.

Report Title: 

Critical Infrastructure and Resiliency Council; Office of Homeland Security; Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism; Office of Planning

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