Free Publication on Energy Security for Local Governments

A new publication on energy security for cities and counties  -- Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines -- is now available at no charge from Public Technology Institute (PTI).

"Protecting and enhancing the resiliency of the energy sector from natural and human-caused disasters requires local governments to be vigilant and aware of the interdependencies of the system," said PTI Executive Director Alan Shark. "This guide provides a valuable resource for local governments as they examine and enhance their energy assurance efforts."

Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines underscores the importance of preparing an energy assurance plan and offers a model tool to help officials assess their readiness in case of an energy emergency in their community by:

• Identifying national and local government experts who can help with energy assurance planning needs
• Building organizational relationships and responsibilities within local government, the private sector and the region
• Discovering actions that can ease the impacts of short-term energy disruptions
• Defining long-term strategies and options for dealing with sustained disruptions or outages
• Providing a tool that can be used to prepare an energy assurance plan
• Improving all-hazards emergency preparedness through regional collaboration
• Learning about innovative and traditional financing mechanisms for energy assurance needs.

"Local governments are on the front lines of virtually all energy emergencies, and local governments are going to be faced with an ever-increasing number of energy-related emergencies in the coming years," said Alice Lippert of the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). "The resources and energy assurance assessment tool provided in this document will help local officials in preparing for energy-related disruptions to their facilities and systems."

The DOE Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) funded PTI's production of this publication. The OE is the primary DOE office responsible for energy emergency planning and response in the United States. Its mission is to lead national efforts to modernize the electric grid, enhance security and reliability of the energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply.

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