BILL REQ. #:  H-0749.1 

READ FIRST TIME 01/17/03.   

     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 TOM RIDGE, SECRETARY-DESIGNATE OF THE DEPARTMENT 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 Pacific Northwest Economic Region completed the first binational critical infrastructure desktop exercise called Blue Cascades; and
     WHEREAS, The Blue Cascades exercise identified numerous areas of concern in critical infrastructure cascading effects;
     NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully communicate their support for the United States Department of Homeland Security to develop an action plan addressing the key findings of the Blue Cascades exercise 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, Tom Ridge, Secretary-Designate of the Department 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.