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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, Our food and water supplies, communications, |
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banking, hospitals, law enforcement, and countless critical |
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functions depend on the electric grid, but the federal government |
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has failed to ensure its security; and |
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WHEREAS, Numerous national publications have reported on the |
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great danger to the electric grid from an electromagnetic pulse, or |
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EMP; national experts regard a potential attack on our electric |
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grid system, whether natural or manmade, as a grave threat to our |
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American way of life; and |
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WHEREAS, The risk of an EMP attack has been acknowledged |
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since the 1960s, and the congressional EMP Commission warned in its |
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2004 and 2008 reports that terrorists or state actors using |
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relatively unsophisticated missiles armed with nuclear weapons |
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could stage such an attack; in 2009, the congressional Commission |
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on the Strategic Posture of the United States, led by former |
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Secretaries of Defense William Perry and James Schlesinger, urged |
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immediate action to protect the electric grid; and |
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WHEREAS, Although the federal government has thus far |
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neglected to take action, Texas is fortunate to have its own power |
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grid; the state is thus capable of hardening its own electric system |
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to ensure reliable electricity in a hostile environment for |
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residents, businesses, and state and local government, as well as |
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for U.S. military bases; and |
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WHEREAS, Even if an EMP threat never materializes, protecting |
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the grid would provide substantial economic benefits; as the |
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federal government closes military bases around the country, Texas |
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bases would likely survive closure, due to their enhanced energy |
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security; moreover, companies considering relocation or expansion |
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would clearly find the assurance of secure power immensely valuable |
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and look to the Lone Star State; and |
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WHEREAS, The protection of the electric grid is essential to |
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the security and continued prosperity of our state and nation, and |
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Texas is prepared to do its part to ensure that citizens can rely |
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completely on the power system that sustains our society; now, |
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therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 84th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to provide |
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Department of Homeland Security funds for the protection of the |
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state's electric grid; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, to the secretary of |
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the Department of Homeland Security, and to all the members of the |
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Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this resolution |
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be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to the Congress |
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of the United States of America. |