Claverack CEO says outage planning and coordination a priority
Claverack Rural Electric Cooperative President and CEO Bobbi Kilmer addressed the House Transportation and Infrastructure subpanel on Thursday, saying that planning and cooperation across public and private sectors is the key to properly addressing power outages.
Kilmer’s statements were made during a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Building and Emergency Management on how to handle electric grid disruptions, including cyber attacks. Kilmer spoke on behalf on Claverack and the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), adding that collaboration between the public and private sectors was critical for prevention.
“Electric utilities, including co-ops, have spent decades creating redundancies to enhance their security measures, but threats to both physical and cyber security are evolving,” Kilmer said. “In response, industry continues to work together along with federal, state, and local security and law enforcement agencies to enhance the security of its critical infrastructure.”
Kilmer shared how Pennsylvania utilities worked together with national agencies on emergency response preparation. In preparation for Hurricane Sandy in 2012, Kilmer said that the state organized response crews both locally and regionally, from Florida and elsewhere, to assist with recovery efforts.
Kilmer said that the most important thing in proper emergency response is collaboration between all parties for the benefit of residents and members.
