SENATE BILL REPORT
HJM 4023
As Reported By Senate Committee On:
Environment, Energy & Water, March 1, 2002
Brief Description: Supporting the development of an action plan for regional infrastructure security.
Sponsors: Representatives Morris, Barlean, Schual‑Berke, Kessler, Conway, Schmidt, Lysen, Wood, Ballasiotes, O'Brien, Upthegrove, Edwards, Kenney, Anderson and Kagi.
Brief History:
Committee Activity: Environment, Energy & Water: 2/28/02, 3/1/02 [DPA].
SENATE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT, ENERGY & WATER
Majority Report: Do pass as amended.
Signed by Senators Fraser, Chair; Regala, Vice Chair; Eide, Hale, Honeyford, Jacobsen, Keiser, McDonald and Morton.
Staff: Andrea McNamara (786‑7483)
Background: In 1991, Washington agreed to participate in the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Agreement, a regional organization focused on promoting regional collaboration and enhancing regional competitiveness in international and domestic markets. Other PNWER members include Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, and the Yukon. The organization's structure consists of a delegate council and an executive committee. Legislators are appointed by participating states and provinces to serve on committees.
The PNWER also has working groups for various policy areas. Policy areas within PNWER's consideration include international trade, economic development, human resources, environment and natural resources, energy, and education. Substantive actions of PNWER may take the form of uniform legislation and other policy initiatives endorsed by participating entities.
In response to heightened interest in security issues, PNWER has initiated a multi-state, binational partnership for regional infrastructure security. The partnership brings together a multitude of public and private stakeholders to address infrastructure interdependencies and work toward an action plan for making the region "disaster resistant."
Summary of Amended Bill: The Legislature expresses its support to the President of the United States, the United States Congress, and the Federal Office of Homeland Security for a binational exercise in the Pacific Northwest to address infrastructure interdependencies in order to develop an action plan for regional infrastructure security. The Legislature supports this exercise being conducted under the auspices of the Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER).
Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: The substitute adds recognition that many critical infrastructures run through multiple jurisdictions, including tribal lands, that can exert control over the facilities. It also changes the reference to BPA as the backbone of our region's electrical power reference, and corrects the reference to a binational exercise so that it includes all the adjoining states, provinces, and northwest territories.
Appropriation: None.
Fiscal Note: Not requested.
Testimony For: Washington and British Columbia are hubs for much of the critical infrastructure of the northwest region of the continent. The existence of many critical nodes of those facilities in Washington make for easily isolated targets of terrorism and create the potential for cascading effects throughout the region. The U.S. is more vulnerable than some other countries because so much of our infrastructure is privatized and not under centralized communications or control. PNWER has assembled a large stakeholder working group and developed a two‑year workplan to develop an action plan to enhance the security of our critical infrastructure. It's considered a model for the rest of the country.
Testimony Against: None.
Testified: Representative Morris, prime sponsor.