These updates reflect State Energy Assurance efforts completed or underway. States not listed below are encouraged to provide updates. Please sent you update to jpillon@naseo.org
June 2010 Update
Arizona Energy Office in the Department of Commerce has reached several key milestones through their “Enhancing State Government Energy Assurance Capabilities and Planning for Smart Grid Resiliency” grant award. After the initial approval of the grant in August 2009, Arizona was able to ramp up and prepare the Project Management Plan and Workforce Development Plan; submitting them to the U.S. Department of Energy in October 2009 and November 2009 respectively. In March 2010, Arizona hired a full time employee to manage the program; partially satisfying a grant requirement to create jobs within the state government for energy assurance planning and response capabilities. In April 2010, Arizona participated in the Palo Verde Ingestion Pathway Exercise as well as the Summer Energy Outlook and DOE Energy Assurance Workshop. Arizona continues to meeting with stakeholders to leverage existing structures to fulfill grant requirements; gather outage data from utilities; and track energy information. To date, Arizona has received 20 percent ($159,282) of the total award ($796,410 over three years).
September 2010 Update
The State of Georgia has achieved a number of key milestones with support from the DOE energy assurance grant. The Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA) is the recipient of the grant and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency is working with GEFA as a sub-recipient. In May, Megha Young became GEMA’s new Energy Assurance Planner and Leanora Styles became GEMA’s GIS Coordinator. In addition, GEFA hired a new Energy Assurance Program Manager, Kristofor Anderson, in June. The new employees working on energy assurance in Georgia help meet the employment goals of the grant.
The State of Georgia is using the grant funding to greatly improve Georgia’s ability to track energy supply disruptions. Notably, Georgia is implementing a system called the Georgia Online Disaster Awareness Geospatial System (GoDAWGS). GoDAWGS is a geospatial visualization tool and disruption tracking system that integrates unconnected data sources for easier analysis, organization, and sharing of information. Its main forms of communication will be through maps and its web visualization interface. One of the primary data feeds for the GoDAWGS system will be E-Team, a data management tool used by emergency responders to record, track, and manage incidents, both natural and man-made. For example, if there is a disruption to an energy source that significantly impacts citizens, the incident will be recorded in E-Team. GoDAWGS will be able to pull the data on the back-end of the E-Team database using Microsoft SQL connection and parse it for display to GoDAWGS. The integration of E-Team and GoDAWGS will give emergency responders and disaster planning partners a way to spatially track critical incidents. This integration will benefit state energy providers and responders before and after emergencies by enabling users to share information and improve incident response decision-making.
The supply disruption tracking system portion of GoDAWGS is complete, but GEFA and GEMA are currently working with other state agency and private industry stateholders to add significantly more geospatial data to the system. This will be an ongoing process that allows for a very robust and dynamic system for disruption tracking and emergency response.
GEFA and GEMA are continuing the energy assurance planning process as well as workforce development. Part of this process includes educating new and existing employees on Georgia’s energy picture as well as energy data analysis skills. Training and workshops for GEFA’s and GEMA’s energy assurance personnel will help Georgia have employees who are extremely knowledgeable on a variety of energy topics in Georgia, including renewable energy and smart grid technology. Meetings on these topics will continue into the fall, with participation from a variety of public and private stakeholders. Additionally, GEFA will be sending staff to the NASEO 2010 Annual Meeting in Boston.
June 2010 Update
The Iowa Office of Energy Independence (OIE) is administering Iowa’s Energy Assurance grant. A State Energy Planner (SEP) was hired in November. The OEI is responsible for energy assurance for petroleum products, while the Iowa Utilities Board (IUB) has responsibility for natural gas and electricity. The Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management Division (HSEMD) provides coordination between multiple entities during an event. Due to the division of duties between agencies, one of the key first steps in the planning process has been building relationships between agencies to ensure smooth coordination. Since November, the SEP has taken advantage of trainings provided by HSEMD to get up to speed on emergency planning issues and processes and to learn the HSEMD vernacular. The State Energy Planner has met multiple times with HSEMD and IUB staff and private industry stakeholders to discuss the energy assurance planning and exercise process.
The State of Iowa currently has an RFP out for bid to hire a contractor to complete the Energy Assurance Plan for the State and to help facilitate the intra-state and regional emergency exercises. A team made up of OEI’s SEP, an emergency planning official from HSEMD and the duty officer of the IUB worked together to craft the RFP and this team will review the submissions and select the contractor. All three agencies and representatives from the electric, natural gas and petroleum sectors will be part of a working group that will be formed to undertake an all-hazards analysis of potential energy emergency risks in Iowa. This analysis will be coordinated with the National Response Framework and National Infrastructure Protection Plan. These same entities will participate in the statewide emergency exercise in 2011, which will be planned a facilitated using the Homeland Security Emergency Exercise Program. The OEI expects to have a contractor on board by late July.
In the meantime, as a guard against the propane emergency that descended in the fall of 2009, OEI staff is working with propane stakeholders, from pipelines to retailers, to take steps to become better prepared for the annual fall propane demand rush. The group has met twice, with two more meetings planned in June to discuss the follow-up items decided upon at the first two meetings. One group will include transporters, pipelines and wholesalers and discuss current scheduling processes and possible improvements those processes when a shortage is imminent or already happening. The other group will discuss how federal regulations governing drivers’ hours of service waivers might be improved and whether there is a potential strategy for advocating for those changes at the federal level. Finally, the OEI and the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship will work together to begin communications with the propane industry before and during the crop drying and heating season with crop, weather and propane need projections.
June 2010 Update
Establishment of the “Commonwealth Energy Assurance Leadership Team”
The Team is charged with providing overall energy assurance project guidance and addressing high level policy issues identified as the Energy Assurance Plan is developed. The Team is chaired by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs with participation by the Secretary of Public Safety (the state’s Homeland Security Director), Commissioners of the MA Department of Energy Resources (MA DOER), Department of Public Utilities and the Department of Environmental Protection and the Director of the MA Emergency Management Agency.
Draft Vulnerability and Risk Assessment
With the assistance of R.W. Beck consulting firm, Massachusetts has identified key, critical energy assets and infrastructure in the state and region and the various energy supply distribution systems. We have just begun to quantify, assess and evaluate energy supply impacts of the various energy asset/infrastructure losses on the consuming sectors and on alternative energy sources. With the information from this report, Massachusetts will determine and prioritize energy assurance measures that the state and energy industries can implement to alleviate supply lost impacts and/or obtain energy supplies. The final report should be completed by end of July.
Review of Existing Energy Emergency Plans
In May, R.W. Beck started to review existing MA energy emergency plans including the state’s plan and the electric and gas utility plans and other state’s existing energy emergency plans. With this information, Beck began a “gap analysis” comparing the existing MA plans against the NASEO Guidelines 3.1. R.W. Beck has drafted the outline of a revised, comprehensive Energy Assurance Plan and has started to populate some of the sections.
Draft of Energy Supply Disruption Tracking Process
The state’s tracking effort is not housed in one state agency. Rather, it encompasses different agencies and divisions within agencies, various reporting regulations and procedures, various communication protocols and a tremendous amount of information. The MA DOER has begun drafting a report on the state’s systems. The report describes the purpose of the Tracking Process, agencies’ roles and responsibilities, the general approach to energy supply data tracking, an overview of the Tracking Process components by energy type, data sources used to populate the tracking systems, tools used, such as the DOE’s ISERnet system, for gathering and communicating outage and recovery information. The report shows how the supply tracking systems coincides with the different phases of an energy supply disruption - Monitoring, Assess Impacts/Recommend Actions, Implement Actions, and Recover/Lessons Learned.
Biofuels Supply Reliability Assessment
MA DOER is assessing the supply availability of qualified advanced biofuels (specified in state law as 50% better lifecycle GHG) and the supply reliability of distributing the blended biofuels into heating oil and diesel fuel for sale in Massachusetts. With some of the energy assurance grant money, DOER hired a consultant, Petrohedge, to assist DOER. The consultant held several stakeholder meetings with representatives from the oil industry and the biofuel industry to identify key issues surrounding supply availability and product distribution. The consultant also identified obligated sellers of the blended products and proposed program forms and a system for tracking and monitoring sales of the covered petroleum products and biofuels.
July 2010 Update
The support provided by the Department of Energy through the Energy Assurance Grant has enabled the State of Michigan to improve its energy emergency preparedness, enhance security, and protect critical energy infrastructure and key assets. Because the reliability of Michigan’s energy infrastructure is vital for all parts of the economy, these efforts will help support and strengthen Michigan’s economic resilience.
Through the first year of the grant, Michigan has made significant progress. It has facilitated collaboration with other Midwest states by holding regional conference calls on energy emergency preparedness and response. Michigan is also strengthening collaboration between key players at the federal, state, local, and tribal level along with key private sector actors to facilitate an effective and coordinated response during energy disruptions. Michigan has redoubled its efforts through an Energy Sector Committee comprised of key energy industry partners including: the Michigan Public Service Commission, Michigan State Police, Intelligence Fusion Center, electric utilities and others. This Committee facilitates open communication and cooperation on energy issues facing Michigan and provides a forum for collectively addressing them with contributions from all affected participants.
Michigan has had in place for many years a well developed capability to track energy disruptions. Additional efforts supported by this grant will result in a supply disruption tracking process that offers substantial enhancement and expanded capability and will contribute to the advancement of our workforce capacity in this area. Understanding the overall energy picture provides the state with a more comprehensive situational awareness that enables more rapid and effective decision-making during a crisis. Michigan has sought to enhance our tracking ability by creating new initiatives and strengthening existing monitoring and analysis activities. Michigan has accomplished this by updating statistical analysis software and by increasing training opportunities for energy forecasting and modeling. Further, Michigan is utilizing the Geospatial Information Systems iCAV and ACAMS, available through the Department of Homeland Security, to visualize key energy infrastructure and interdependencies impacting Michigan.
Lastly, the Michigan Public Service Commission was awarded a National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners tabletop exercise, making Michigan one of only four awards granted nationally. This exercise will test the state’s newly developed emergency plans, enabling Michigan to enhance our planning and response for a wide range of energy emergencies.
June 2010 Update
In the first year of funding under the ARRA Energy Assurance grant, New York completed several key milestones. In late 2009, it completed and submitted its Project Management and Workforce Development Plans. At that time, New York established an interagency working group consisting of its Homeland Security (OHS), Emergency Management (SEMO), Cyber Security and Critical Infrastructure Coordination (CSCIC), State Energy Office (NYSERDA), and Department of Public Service (DPS) offices. Coordination has been ongoing within this group. A New York representative participated in the Denver Summer Energy Outlook and Energy Assurance Workshop. Staff at NYSERDA, in cooperation with partner agencies, are developing the Energy Disruption Tracking Process deliverable. When completed, this report will be a broad summary of the multiple layers of data and information that are currently tracked in New York government with regards to energy supply as well as current systems for tracking outages and supply disruptions and responses. New York will be issuing a competitive solicitation in the near future for contracted support to assist in the completion of its Energy Assurance Plan. As a complement to the Plan, NYSERDA has commenced a special fuel study examining propane supply infrastructure with the State and region. NYSERDA is completing the terms of a Memorandum of Agreement with partner agencies (OHS and CSCIC) to fund contracted support and new staff within their offices to improve critical infrastructure data and vulnerability/interdependency analysis. Planning efforts are underway to develop the tabletop exercise for 2011 and participation in regional exercises in 2012.
July 2010 Update
North Carolina hired two professionals, Bob Mielish and Karl Pepple, to perform duties associated with the State Energy Assurance Plan Grant. Since their arrival they have drafted an outline for an updated State Energy Assurance Plan and started to collect data on the location, use and throughput of North Carolina’s critical infrastructure, interoperability and dependence. The team has opened lines of communication with the utility providers, petroleum suppliers and other state agencies with similar interests in Energy Assurance. Work is underway to build bridges to North Carolina state agencies that are already collecting much of the needed data, but for other purposes. The Energy Assurance team has made positive communications with the surrounding states to foster a regional approach to Energy Assurance.
Bob and Karl are currently collecting data on the throughput of resources that create the state’s energy, how that energy is distributed and ultimately utilized. The team will soon be able to determine critical vulnerabilities and risk factors associated with the North Carolina infrastructure. The Energy Assurance team is also in the process of developing an Energy Supply Disruption Tracking Process that incorporates weather data, fuel pricing, supply line interruptions, service interruptions, and other necessary data. The Energy Assurance team attended a SMART grid demonstration and is developing relationships with the potential implementers.
October 2010 Update
To fulfill the “Oregon Energy Assurance Initiative” grant award, the State of Oregon formed a partnership between the Oregon Department of Energy, the Oregon Public Utilities Commission (PUC), and the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI). This state agency partnership approach is intended to tackle deliverables independently based on department expertise and then knit the results together into a unified Energy Assurance plan.
The Oregon Department of Energy engaged petroleum industry partners servicing Oregon to facilitate emergency response coordination to fuel shortages or disruptions impacting the state. Activities included identifying and resolving issues of joint concern, conducting onsite inspections, and acquiring copies of emergency plans from petroleum distribution terminals and pipeline companies. The state Department of Energy reviewed industry plans and will revise Oregon’s Petroleum Contingency Plan to ensure consistent response strategies with petroleum industry partners. The Department is also is overseeing the completion of a targeted distributed energy resilience study that will index and analyze opportunities for renewable energy facilities, smart grid applications, and biofuels to supply essential electricity and transportation fuels under an all-hazards approach. This study will be complete by the end of 2010.
The PUC engaged Oregon utilities and service providers as well as employed new staff to write the natural gas and electric components of the state Energy Assurance Plan. The PUC also oversees the work of a state geologist in identifying seismic risk to critical energy infrastructure in the Cascadia subduction zone. A summary study and recommendations for prioritized actions will be incorporated into the EAP update in Q2 2011; the extended study will be complete at the end of the grant term.
To date, the state partnership has successfully completed its Project Management Plan, Workforce Development Plan, and Energy Supply Disruption Tracking Process on mark with its published schedule. In planning for the tabletop exercises, the state partnership will have to ramp up activities to prepare for the regional workshop in mid to late 2011.
April 2011 Update
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection’s (DEP) Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, Bureau of Energy Innovations and Technology Deployment (i.e., State Energy Office) is overseeing the Enhancing State Government Energy Assurance Capabilities and Planning for Smart Grid Resiliency grant. This grant supports Pennsylvania’s development of energy assurance and resiliency plans that the Commonwealth will use during energy emergencies and supply disruptions, and will strengthen energy assurance capacity. The grant helps Pennsylvania address energy supply disruption risks and vulnerabilities in its plans. This will lessen the devastating impact such incidents can have on the economy and on the health and safety of its citizens. DEP contracted with CRA, Inc. to assist in plan development and exercise facilitation.
Pennsylvania DEP partnered with the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Office (PEMA) to develop the Project Management Plan. The Plan was completed and submitted to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) in December, 2009.
An essential element of the Energy Assurance Plan is the Workforce Development Plan (WDP), which outlines the State Energy Office’s current and proposed organizational structure. The WDP recommends State Energy Program positions and their responsibilities. It also identifies staff training requirements, including specific IT systems, classroom training, correspondence and independent study courses, and on the job training requirements. The WDP calls for exercises following Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation Program (HSEEP) guidelines for its validation. The WDP was completed and filed with U.S. DOE in August 2010.
The first draft of the Energy Supply Disruption Tracking Process, completed in August 2010, was revised and updated in February 2011. It is currently going through a final review before submission to U.S. DOE. The SEO purchased the GEMWorX FlowModeler® analysis tool to generate process diagrams and reports. These diagrams capture disruption information by specific energy sector. This helps the SEO, PUC and PEMA identify the key procedural tasks required to resolve specific energy events and to communicate more effectively between departments, agencies, energy companies, and the general public. Training sessions on the software have been conducted, and procedures to record disruption information are under development.
As part of the planning effort, the Emergency Support Function 12 (ESF 12) Annex to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s State Emergency Operations Plan (SEOP) was also reviewed and updated.
A vulnerability assessment report was developed in the fall of 2010 to clarify the relationship between Pennsylvania’s various energy profiles by identifying vulnerabilities and risks. The Vulnerability Assessment Analysis of Pennsylvania’s Energy Markets Vulnerabilities and Risks report focuses on energy sources and sectors, including electricity, coal, nuclear power, natural gas, petroleum, and alternate/renewable energy. This assessment framework sets up processes for profiling energy use and the vulnerability of systems, networks, and functions. It also helps identify fuel-related response measures.
The first draft of the Energy Assurance Plan (EA Plan), completed in January 2011, has been shared with the Energy Delivery Technologies Division of U.S. DOE. In compliance with grant requirements, the intrastate exercise is scheduled for April 27, 2010, at PEMA. Participants from over 20 governmental agencies and private organizations are expected. The exercise will foster a comprehensive understanding of the new draft of the EA Plan. It will also train and familiarize State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) staff on their roles and responsibilities in an energy emergency. The exercise will also evaluate individual response plans and test the Commonwealth’s ability to create an action plan during a terrorist incident and a severe fuel and oil shortage in Pennsylvania.
The Commonwealth has made energy development a cornerstone of Pennsylvania’s economic development strategy, with a focus across the entire energy spectrum. The Governor and DEP have emphasized alternative energy and energy efficiency to create a positive circle of economic development and environmental improvement that encourages greater investments and commitment for clean energy. This strategy creates a progressive policy environment favorable to the adoption of alternative energy and energy efficiency. It also creates financial tools and advanced technologies to support clean energy, and continues the implementation since 2008 of a specific sector-based energy efficiency and energy conservation strategy for Pennsylvania.
September 2010 Update
The Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) has been moving forward on a variety of energy assurance fronts. We have been fully staffed since May and have sent our new hires to an array of educational opportunities on the subjects of cyber security, hurricane/disaster preparedness, electric vehicles, renewable power, disaster management and copper theft. We have completed workshops on storm hardening, cyber security, smart grid/energy assurance and electric vehicles and are gearing up for one on best practices in vegetation management. In June 2010, we completed our first grant-related rulemaking focusing on electric utility storm hardening requiring, among other things, that utilities file storm hardening plans with the Commission. Recently, the PUC and Railroad Commission (RRC) combined efforts to produce our first state energy tabletop exercise that included a set of cyber issues. The Energy Assurance Plan is on track and coming together nicely. That process has begun with our updates to the energy annex to the State Emergency Management Plan—also in conjunction with the RRC—and will end with a collection of documents from both of our agencies. Our energy disruption tracking plan was completed and has taken the form of a very useful outage database to which utilities send their outage and restoration statistics. Our Emergency Management Response Team can sort the data by utility, zip code or county in the State Operations Center. The database also maps outage areas and posts outage data onto the PUC website for public use. The system went live on the first of June and was promptly tested by Hurricane Alex. We are happy to report that it was a tremendous success, and it provided us with a wish list for future versions with expanded mapping features and more automated data acquisition.
The Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) has been focused on three major projects as part of the energy assurance program. They include preparation of a geospatial map, a Supply Disruption Tracking Plan and a tabletop exercise. The geospatial map involves working with several existing databases and with our IT group. The completed map will show the location and information for wells, pipelines, gas plants, LPG, CNG and LNG facilities, gas and liquid underground and above ground storage, compressors, gas distribution areas, jurisdictional offshore platforms and lignite mines. The attributes that may be accessed for each item will include emergency contact information, location information, description information and volumetric information. This project culminated in the Critical Infrastructure Program Definition and Requirements Plan that provides a framework for the IT group. The Supply Disruption Tracking Plan consists of three separate systems to track natural gas utilities, intrastate natural gas pipelines, gas processing plants, crude oil pipelines and refineries. The Supply Disruption Tracking Plan provides a statistical overview of Texas consumption, production, pricing and imports of natural gas and the various petroleum products regulated by the RRC. The Plan also describes the major causes of supply disruption in the State. The Public Utilities Commission of Texas invited the RRC to participate in a Tabletop Exercise they are hosting with National Association of Regulatory Commissioners (NARUC). We have been working to provide requested information regarding the exercise and to line up ten participants from the RRC, private companies and trade associations. We are starting to shift our focus to the preparation of the Energy Assurance Plan. We are also charged with the responsibility, working with the PUC, to rewrite the Energy portion of the State Emergency Management Plan.
June 2010 Update
In January, 2009, the COE’s Howard Hanson Dam on the Green River in King County suffered sufficient failure during a storm that the COE declared an increased risk (1 in 4 chances) of flooding because the reservoir could not be filled to flood control levels. In September, 2009, Governor Gregoire created the Green River Subcabinet and directed the Washington Department of Commerce to convene an Energy Working Group. In the process of planning with the energy industry to address flooding issues related to energy infrastructure, Commerce was able to educate the 25 members of the group in the State Energy Assurance Plan and share a video on State Response to Energy Emergencies. Members include state agencies, electric and natural gas transmission and distribution utilities, oil refiners, gas and diesel distributors, oil and natural gas pipeline operators, energy associations, and federal agencies.
Washington State Department of Commerce has been working on its Energy Supply Disruption Tracking Process; proposed development of a map based energy disruption tracking tool. A contractor was hired in March 2010 to do a feasibility study and a Technical Advisory Team was established to advise Commerce made up of energy industry representatives and state agencies. From April through June 2010 meetings were held with the Technical Advisory Team, all 60 utilities in the state were surveyed, and all 50 states were contacted about any work they may have done in this area. The feasibility study is expected to be completed by the end of June.
The first draft of a state Energy Sector Specific Plan for Critical Infrastructure Protection is expected to be completed by a state Energy Coordinating Council in July 2010 initiating a review process for attachment to and updating of the state Energy Assurance Plan.
In 2010, as part of its work force development efforts, 7 State Energy Office staff members have participated in one or more of the following training opportunities:
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Summer Fuels Outlook Conference and Energy Assurance and Data Workshop;
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Energy Emergency Assurance Coordinator Training webcast;
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On site State Emergency Operation Center Orientation Training;
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Trained in St. Lake City attending the Utah Private Sector Homeland Security Coordinating Council and Steering Committee meeting and earthquake exercise; and
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Completed the following FEMA on line courses:
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Introduction to Incident Command System (ICS 100.a);
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ICS for Single Resources and Initial Action Incidents (ICS 200.a);
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National Incident Management System, an Introduction (IS-700.a); and
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The NRP Awareness Course, “National Response Plan, an Introduction” (IS-800.b).
January 2012 Update
The West Virginia Division of Energy (WVDOE) continues to work with the West Virginia Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety (WVDMAPS) and West Virginia University’s National Research Center for Coal and Energy (NRCCE), on revisions and enhancements to the State’s current energy emergency operations plan. Additional collaborative efforts to develop and deliver training courses under the Workforce Development Plan outlined in Task 2 of the state energy assurance plan also continue. The development of an Energy Supply Disruption Tracking Process (Task 4) and Intra-State and Inter-State Exercises (Tasks 5a & b) along with the required reporting has been completed.
In collaboration with WVDOE and WVDMAPS, NRCCE has developed an Energy Supply Disruption Tracking System and Emergency Contact Database tool. The tool was developed using Microsoft Access 2010 and is designed with the capability of being run on a SharePoint Server to provide access from any electronic device capable of running a web browser. This design feature would allow users to access emergency contacts and energy information as well as track energy supply disruption for remote locations. The database assists emergency officials in their efforts to track energy supply disruptions and provide quick access to information to assist in minimizing service restoration times. Links to online data sources along with tables containing emergency contact information for energy prime suppliers, marketers, federal/state/local emergency officials and others are readily accessible from the main page of the database. The tool also includes a knowledge base with links to energy information and data sources to assist users in their ability to address energy supply disruptions and facilitate the restoration process. A report center with pre-constructed reports is also provided to assist users with the generation of reports on supply disruption issues by assigned user, category, opening user, and status. The tool includes procedures for easy maintenance and updating and a fully documented user’s guide with screen shots and examples.
The NRCCE team is in the final stages of revising the current energy emergency component of the West Virginia Emergency Operations Plan (WVEOP), (Annex V) and developing an energy assurance addendum. A preliminary draft of the revisions to Annex V was uploaded to the USDOE report submissions site on February 12, 2011. Comments received on the submitted version are currently being addressed.
As part of the workforce development required under the SEAP, NRCCE has developed a series of courses for state and local emergency personnel on energy issues that were identified in the inter-state and intra-state exercises. A course on Energy Assurance Issues in WV was provided at the 2011 WV State Emergency Response Commission and Local Emergency Planning Committees Conference held at Canaan Valley State Park on September 13, 2011.
Four undergraduate students were hired to assist with the task assigned to NRCCE. All of these students remain actively engaged in the project and they continue to receive instruction and develop marketable skills related to energy assurance and state and regional energy markets. These students continue to receive the equivalent of on-the-job training. A Graduate Assistant has also joined the project and is assisting with the development of training materials and courses.
WVDMAPS and WVDOE along with petroleum industry officials assisted NRCCE in the development and presentation of the interstate exercise. Development of the exercise and the supporting material was completed and the exercise was held on May 4, 2011, in Charleston, WV. The WV State Energy Assurance Exercise was organized and facilitated by NRCCE. Participants included representatives from the WVDOE, the WV Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (WVDHSEM) , WV Department of Military Affairs and Public Safety(WVDMAPS) , the WV State Police, the City of Charleston, the WV Department of Environmental Protection , the US Department of Transportation, USDOE, the National Energy Technology Laboratory (USDOE NETL), WV Commerce, WV Commerce Communications Division, Marathon Petroleum, WV Petroleum Association, WV Oil Marketers and Grocers Association, the Kanawha County Commission. The After Action Report was prepared and submitted by NRCCE in conjunction with the WVDOE with input provided by the WVDHSEM and WVDMAPS.
Finally, NRCCE and WVDOE representatives also attended and participated in the USDOE’s Northeast Regional Exercise as an informal “State Team” on June 16 and 17 in Boston, MA, and participated in breakout sessions at the exercise.