President Trump recently signed an Executive Order titled, “Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness.” The EO directs the federal government to review all national preparedness and response policies.
[Editor's note: news of the EO was reported initially in the March 21 issue of Public Power Current Extra].
The text of the EO is available on the White House website here.
Following the review, federal officials are required to make recommendations to the President on revising/replacing those programs to place a greater emphasis and responsibility on state and local governments for response and preparedness efforts. In addition, the EO requires the development of a “National Resilience Strategy,” “National Critical Infrastructure Policy,” and “National Risk Register,” which will eliminate the capabilities-based all-hazards approach for emergency preparedness and switch to a risk-informed approach. The implementation of the EO is expected to be completed within one year.
Once fully implemented, state and local governments will be expected to assume greater responsibility for preparing for and responding to disasters, possibly with less financial and/or operational support from the federal government.
APPA said it will continue to monitor any new developments, maintain communication with the Department of Energy, and provide timely updates as the association learns how this EO will impact public power utilities.
