The NGA Center for Best Practices has released Executive Authority During Energy Emergencies: A Road Map for Governors. The road map is a tool that helps governors and their key advisors determine how to act when an event—whether caused by natural disaster, malicious actor, or human error—causes an energy emergency.
THE ISSUE: An energy emergency, such as an electrical grid outage, pipeline disruption or fuel shortage, occurs when an actual or imminent severe energy supply interruption threatens the health, safety and well-being of a population.
THE ROLE OF STATES: Governors are solely responsible for declaring a state of emergency. An energy emergency may require governors to execute their emergency powers to aid in response, restoration and recovery.
THE ROAD MAP: The road map is a tool to help governors prepare in advance of an energy emergency and guide their decision making in the event of an energy emergency.
STEPS FOR STATES: This road map will help governors:
- Understand state and federal legal authorities,
- Learn about key decision points,
- Identify when to execute formal and informal actions and
- Provide guidance on communication and coordination strategies.
