Ecmweb 6326 Earth6391
Ecmweb 6326 Earth6391
Ecmweb 6326 Earth6391
Ecmweb 6326 Earth6391
Ecmweb 6326 Earth6391

Capitol Hill Hearing Addresses Weaknesses in Electrical Grid

May 13, 2014
Peter Pry testified that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event could wipe out 90% of America's population.

The House Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies on Thursday, May 8, held a hearing on Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) and its threat to the critical infrastructure.

EMP [Electromagnetic Pulse] is a clear and present danger and a far greater threat than severe weather,” said Dr. Peter Pry, Executive Director of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security.  “A solar flare narrowly missed the Earth in July 2012, and nuclear EMP attack from terrorists or rogue states, as practiced by North Korea during the nuclear crisis of 2013, are both existential threats that could kill 9 of 10 Americans through starvation, disease, and societal collapse. Passage of the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act to protect the national electric grid is urgently necessary.”

Pry testified that an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) event could wipe out 90% of America's population, according to a report from Investors.com. Pry, a former CIA nuclear weapons analyst, believes that North Korea's recent seemingly low-yield nuclear tests and launch of a low-orbit satellite may in fact be preparations for a future electromagnetic pulse attack, Investors.com wrote.

A copy of a report prepared by the Department of Homeland Security for the Defense Department, obtained by Pry from sources within DHS, finds North Korea could use its Unha-3 space launch vehicle to deliver a nuclear warhead as a satellite over the South Pole to attack America from the south.

To protect the civilian grid against an EMP event, Rep. Trent Franks (R., Ariz.),  has introduced H.R. 3410, the Critical Infrastructure Protection Act, which would enable the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to implement practical steps to protect the electric grid.

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