Bill Text: IA SCR102 | 2013-2014 | 85th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: A concurrent resolution urging the Federal Emergency Management Agency to reverse its unilateral decision to place new and unachievable conditions on the eligibility of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, rural electric cooperatives, and municipal utilities to receive storm recovery funding in the event of a presidential major disaster declaration.
Spectrum: Broadly Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-01-14 - Withdrawn. S.J. 58. [SCR102 Detail]
Download: Iowa-2013-SCR102-Introduced.html
Senate
Concurrent
Resolution
102
-
Introduced
SENATE
CONCURRENT
RESOLUTION
NO.
102
BY
McCOY
,
ANDERSON
,
JOCHUM
,
DOTZLER
,
SENG
,
GRONSTAL
,
COURTNEY
,
TAYLOR
,
PETERSEN
,
HART
,
BOLKCOM
,
RAGAN
,
MATHIS
,
BRASE
,
BEALL
,
SCHOENJAHN
,
QUIRMBACH
,
BLACK
,
HORN
,
HATCH
,
DEARDEN
,
CHAPMAN
,
DIX
,
BEHN
,
BERTRAND
,
BOWMAN
,
BREITBACH
,
CHELGREN
,
DANIELSON
,
DVORSKY
,
ERNST
,
FEENSTRA
,
GARRETT
,
GREINER
,
GUTH
,
HOGG
,
JOHNSON
,
KAPUCIAN
,
ROZENBOOM
,
SCHNEIDER
,
SEGEBART
,
SINCLAIR
,
SMITH
,
SODDERS
,
WHITVER
,
WILHELM
,
ZAUN
,
and
ZUMBACH
A
Concurrent
Resolution
urging
the
Federal
Emergency
1
Management
Agency
to
reverse
its
unilateral
2
decision
to
place
new
and
unachievable
conditions
3
on
the
eligibility
of
the
Department
of
Homeland
4
Security
and
Emergency
Management,
rural
5
electric
cooperatives,
and
municipal
utilities
to
6
receive
storm
recovery
funding
in
the
event
of
a
7
presidential
major
disaster
declaration.
8
WHEREAS,
since
February
2007,
Iowa
has
experienced
9
19
presidential
disaster
declarations
resulting
in
10
rural
electric
cooperative
and
municipal
utility
system
11
damage
in
nearly
every
instance;
and
12
WHEREAS,
during
presidential
major
disaster
13
declarations
occurring
in
2007
and
2010,
rural
14
electric
cooperatives
and
municipal
utilities
incurred
15
particularly
significant
and
widespread
system
16
damage;
and
17
WHEREAS,
the
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
18
adopted
policy
9580.6,
Electric
Utility
Repair,
in
19
2009,
to
establish
criteria
to
determine
eligibility
20
-1-
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5379XS
(6)
85
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1/
4
S.C.R.
102
for
repair
or
replacement
of
disaster-damaged
electric
1
distribution
and
transmission
systems
under
the
2
authority
of
rural
electric
cooperatives,
municipal
3
utilities,
public
power
districts,
and
other
public
4
entities
following
a
presidential
major
disaster
5
declaration;
and
6
WHEREAS,
since
2009
the
Federal
Emergency
Management
7
Agency
has
followed
and
applied
policy
9580.6
in
8
Iowa
which
resulted
in
the
receipt
of
storm
recovery
9
funding
by
rural
electric
cooperatives
and
municipal
10
utilities;
and
11
WHEREAS,
three
Iowa
distribution
cooperatives,
12
Iowa
Lakes
Electric
Cooperative,
Lyon
Rural
Electric
13
Cooperative,
and
Osceola
Electric
Cooperative;
one
14
municipal
utility,
Sanborn
Municipal
Electric
Utility;
15
and
one
transmission
cooperative,
L
and
O
Power
16
Cooperative
submitted
applications
for
storm
recovery
17
funding
based
upon
damage
suffered
during
a
late
winter
18
storm
which
resulted
in
a
presidential
major
disaster
19
declaration
issued
on
May
6,
2013;
and
20
WHEREAS,
the
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
21
elected
to
ignore
policy
9580.6
and
denied
the
22
applications
to
rebuild
damaged
transmission
and
23
distribution
lines
in
the
manner
funded
by
the
agency
24
since
2007,
stating
that
the
utilities
had
failed
to
25
perform
physical
testing
of
their
lines
before
and
26
after
the
storm;
and
27
WHEREAS,
for
the
first
time
in
the
nation,
the
28
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
has
determined
that
29
these
utilities
have
not
been
able
to
substantiate
30
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S.C.R.
102
that
their
conductor
was
in
good
repair
and
was
1
properly
maintained
prior
to
the
storm
event
because
2
unprecedented
physical
testing
of
their
overhead
lines
3
was
not
performed;
and
4
WHEREAS,
the
Iowa
Utilities
Board
requires
5
electric
utilities
to
prepare
and
submit
for
approval
6
reliability
plans
and
to
perform
system
inspections
to
7
ensure
that
their
systems
are
well
maintained,
safe,
8
and
reliable;
and
9
WHEREAS,
the
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
10
has
been
provided
copies
of
the
reliability
plans
and
11
inspection
reports
for
the
applicant
cooperatives
and
12
utilities,
all
of
which
substantiate
that
their
systems
13
were
well
maintained
prior
to
the
storm;
and
14
WHEREAS,
the
testing
required
by
the
Federal
15
Emergency
Management
Agency
in
ignoring
policy
9580.6
16
is
not
required
by
any
federal,
state,
or
local
17
regulatory
body,
is
not
performed
as
a
matter
of
18
industry
practice,
and
is
not
known
to
satisfy
any
19
industry
or
engineering
standard;
and
20
WHEREAS,
the
loss
of
Federal
Emergency
Management
21
Agency
storm
recovery
funds
will
have
a
significant
22
detrimental
financial
impact
on
Iowa’s
rural
electric
23
cooperatives
and
their
member
consumers
and
on
Iowa’s
24
municipal
utilities
and
their
customers;
NOW
THEREFORE,
25
BE
IT
RESOLVED
BY
THE
SENATE,
THE
HOUSE
OF
26
REPRESENTATIVES
CONCURRING,
That
the
Federal
Emergency
27
Management
Agency
and
specifically
the
Federal
28
Emergency
Management
Agency
Region
VII
are
urged
to
29
reconsider
their
detrimental
policy
decision
denying
30
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S.C.R.
102
storm
recovery
funding
for
the
applicant
utilities
and
1
to
return
to
the
application
of
policy
9580.6
which
was
2
in
place
prior
to
this
abrupt
change;
and
3
BE
IT
FURTHER
RESOLVED,
That
copies
of
this
4
resolution
be
sent
to
Mr.
Craig
Fugate,
Federal
5
Emergency
Management
Agency
Administrator;
Ms.
Beth
6
Freeman,
Director,
Federal
Emergency
Management
Agency
7
Region
VII,
and
to
the
members
of
Iowa’s
congressional
8
delegation.
9
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