Deputy Secretary A. Leigh Williams is Luncheon Speaker at National Conference Focused on Crafting a Plan that will Protect Critical Infrastructure

Deputy Secretary of Energy A. Leigh Williams was the luncheon speaker at a March 16, 2017 conference hosted by the National Guard Association of the U.S. Attendees included stakeholders from around the country, including Homeland Security, FBI, National Guard, hospitals, water utilities and private businesses.

They gathered with the goal of creating a strategy for protecting critical infrastructure and were focused on addressing prolonged power outages, which can be caused by EMP, space weather and cyber threats.  Panel participants reviewed and discussed the impacts of energy on the interdependencies of emergency communications, transportation, water and medical infrastructure for the private and public sectors.

Deputy Secretary Williams explained how Maryland is leading by example to expedite solutions and the state’s ideas to obtain funding. She elaborated on how Maryland’s Department of General Services Energy Office is coordinating with MD National Guard, MEMA, Homeland Security, Maryland Environmental Service and Maryland-based businesses to forge energy assurance plans that address long-term, prolonged and widespread disruption of the power grid due to electromagnetic pulse, space weather and cyber threats.

“I was pleased to share information describing Maryland’s collaborative approach to identifying, testing, mitigating and protecting priority infrastructure,” Deputy Secretary Williams said. “We look forward to developing critical infrastructure protection guidelines and response, restoration and recovery plans for a potential EMP event that can be used in Maryland, the region and the nation.”