H-3560.1  _______________________________________________

                     HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 4023

          _______________________________________________

State of Washington      57th Legislature     2002 Regular Session

By Representatives Morris, Barlean, Schual‑Berke, Kessler, Conway, Schmidt, Lysen, Wood, Ballasiotes, O'Brien, Upthegrove, Edwards, Kenney, Anderson and Kagi

Read first time 01/23/2002.  Referred to Committee on Select Committee on Community Security.

Supporting the development of an action plan for regional infrastructure security.

    TO THE HONORABLE GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED, AND TO GOVERNOR TOM RIDGE, DIRECTOR OF THE OFFICE OF HOMELAND SECURITY:

    We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

    WHEREAS, The State of Washington's economy is dependent upon numerous critical infrastructures, many of which are owned and operated by the private sector; and

    WHEREAS, These critical infrastructures are highly complex and interdependent, such that disruptions by natural disaster or by terrorist attack may lead to cascading and escalating effects on other critical infrastructures; and

    WHEREAS, Bonneville Power Administration, which provides the backbone of our state's electrical power system, has led the nation in emergency preparedness and risk assessment; and

    WHEREAS, Over eighty percent of our natural gas supply is imported from Canada, and our electrical grid system is highly integrated with BC Hydro; and

    WHEREAS, The Pacific Northwest Economic Region has launched the first multistate, binational Partnership for Regional Infrastructure Security, bringing over one hundred twenty public and private stakeholders to address interdependency issues and work toward an action plan for a "disaster resistant" region; and

    WHEREAS, The Canadian federal Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness has agreed to support a binational exercise addressing the interdependencies between border states and provinces; and

    WHEREAS, The United States Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and the Homeland Security Department have announced their interest in doing a binational regional exercise with Canada;

    NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully communicate their support of such an exercise being held in the Pacific Northwest under the auspices of PNWER to develop an action plan for regional infrastructure security.

    BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States, Governor Tom Ridge, Director of the Office of Homeland Security, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.

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