Next USEA Press Briefing: Experts Sought To Examine Electric Supply Chain Resilience after Disasters - Guest Post

Dear Friends, The damage wrought by hurricanes Helene and Milton is without precedent. Historians point to various strong hurricanes in the past, including one in Florida 100 years ago. But Helene and Milton are different. The next weather disaster will be different, too. A century ago, electricity wasn’t the essential commodity in those regions it is today. Indeed, many homes across Florida and North Carolina didn’t have electricity. The National Rural Electrification project was a part of FDR's New Deal. After providing humanitarian aid to people struggling in the aftermath of these two powerful hurricanes and the attendant tornadoes, the need to restore electricity is paramount. That won’t be easy. Some utilities must rehabilitate or rebuild their infrastructure from the ground up. An unprecedented army of 50,000 technicians from utilities across the country is struggling to get the power back up in Florida. These are the first responders who are often overlooked, but they are as heroic as those who braved rising water to rescue stranded residents from cars and rooftops. Overhanging this rebuilding effort is the supply chain. Where will the hardware be sourced? Much of it hasn't been manufactured in America for decades. The electric supply chain has been wobbly ever since COVID-19. Now it is torn asunder and must be rebuilt fast. It isn’t a time to obstruct essential needs. The electric supply chain is stretched not just nationwide but worldwide. There are heavy demands from Ukraine, and there will be even more needs when rebuilding begins in Gaza and Lebanon. Here are some of my thoughts on the situation: We are facing a huge crisis that hasn’t yet been comprehended by the political class. The recent hurricanes are a game-changer which will influence the design and building of utility systems going forward. We need a Marshall Plan for America, above politics, to rebuild parts of the nation that have been flattened by natural disasters. We need a supply chain "czar" with wide authority to strengthen the supply chain and prepare the nation for the next weather incident or other outage. The United States Energy Association will hold the next in its series of monthly virtual press briefings on Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. ET on the supply chain and what can be done to speed essentials — like transformers and other hardware -- from where they are made to where they are needed. I organize and host these briefings, which are broadcast live on Zoom and are open to the press and the public. Mark Menezes, USEA president and CEO, and a former deputy secretary of energy, welcomes participants and is on hand to lend his expertise. The tone is collegial. The format is a panel of senior energy reporters questions a panel of experts on a topic. The aim is to leave reporters with information for a story they can either write that day or bank for future stories. If you have expertise in the electric supply chain, or views on how to make it more resilient, and if either you or someone you know would like to participate on the experts panel, please get in touch with me. Electricity is more important than it has ever been and it gets more so daily. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_-_tPMWTtRA6z21s5IjQRWA Cheers, Llewellyn Executive Producer and Host "White House Chronicle" on PBS; Columnist, InsideSources Syndicate; Contributor, Forbes; Energy Central; Commentator, SiriusXM Radio Mobile: (202) 441-2702 Website: whchronicle.com