Safety Net: Desalinization & Utilities in times of Emergency such as the new invention coming out under Renewable Energy in the form of Long Duration Batteries (WJS 9/10/21 "Investors Hunt for Battery Advances"), which should be mandated by every state, capable of supporting electric power from the grid for some time pinpointing emergency outtages from a hurricane, for instance. It doesnt require interstate connections, but independent on site backup. Currently only 20% of US electric power grids are equipped with this new technology.
The US population has increased 200% in one century going from 108m in 1921 to 330m people in 2019. Already the west is short of water and in Florida its being fought over with those who want to access the aquifer. Its not that the natural resources in the US are being lost for lack of conservation; but I dont think that the growth of the population, increasing geometrically, can be ignored. So rather than wait to see if the US desertifies or a national crisis occurs particularly due to demand, let's start building a safety net undergirding desalinazation, already being developed in the US but still not cost effective yet, and adding new technology that will enable a state to get up and running again after a catestrophic event. Lets add infrastructure that will remedy this delimma now while we have the opportunity rather than wait and wind up with what happened in Texas where over a hundred million gallons of water was lost because of bursting frozen pipes and the residents having to wait for negotiations to clear regulations. You do know that Texas, Arizona and parts of California are desertifying? I think with 9/11 and the 2020 pandemic, we have learned the benefit of preparedness something I learned a long time ago in asset and property management. Moreover, our vulnerability to war demands this kind of protection in a globalizing World in which our borders are more porous than ever .
Ex. Ord. No. 13920. Securing the United States Bulk-Power System
Ex. Ord. No. 13920, May 1, 2020, 85 F.R. 26595, provided:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), the National Emergencies Act (50 U.S.C. 1601 et seq.) (NEA), and section 301 of title 3, United States Code,
I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in the United States bulk-power system, which provides the electricity that supports our national defense, vital emergency services, critical infrastructure, economy, and way of life. The bulk-power system is a target of those seeking to commit malicious acts against the United States and its people, including malicious cyber activities, because a successful attack on our bulk-power system would present significant risks to our economy, human health and safety, and would render the United States less capable of acting in defense of itself and its allies. I further find that the unrestricted acquisition or use in the United States of bulk-power system electric equipment designed, developed, manufactured, or supplied by persons owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of foreign adversaries augments the ability of foreign adversaries to create and exploit vulnerabilities in bulk-power system electric equipment, with potentially catastrophic effects. I therefore determine that the unrestricted foreign supply of bulk-power system electric equipment constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States, which has its source in whole or in substantial part outside the United States. This threat exists both in the case of individual acquisitions and when acquisitions are considered as a class. Although maintaining an open investment climate in bulk-power system electric equipment, and in the United States economy more generally, is important for the overall growth and prosperity of the United States, such openness must be balanced with the need to protect our Nation against a critical national security threat. To address this threat, additional steps are required to protect the security, integrity, and reliability of bulk-power system electric equipment used in the United States. In light of these findings, I hereby declare a national emergency with respect to the threat to the United States bulk-power system.
Accordingly, I hereby order:
…
Sec. 3. Task Force on Federal Energy Infrastructure Procurement Policies Related to National Security. (a) There is hereby established a Task Force on Federal Energy Infrastructure Procurement Policies Related to National Security (Task Force), which shall work to protect the Nation from national security threats through the coordination of Federal Government procurement of energy infrastructure and the sharing of risk information and risk management practices to inform such procurement. The Task Force shall be chaired by the Secretary or the Secretary's designee.
(b) In addition to the Chair of the Task Force (Chair), the Task Force membership shall include the following heads of agencies, or their designees:
Original source can be found here.
