PTI Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines - Metropolitan ...

The sections below reference NASEO’s State Energy Assurance Guidelines, with an emphasis on organizing EAP
information to make it most relevant to local governments. 36
Local Government Contacts
Finding the local government agency responsible for emergency management and/or implementation of the local
emergency operations plan (EOP) is an excellent start to building a contact list. (The State EOP is the framework
within which local EOPs are created, and through which the Federal government becomes involved in an
emergency.) Emergency management personnel will often have valuable energy expertise to offer to the EAP efforts.
Other potentially useful local government contacts include the following:
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Hazard mitigation planner/coordinator
Public works agency (especially for water and wastewater issues—not just energy)
Energy manager(s)
Public Information Officer (PIO)
Chief Financial Officer
Heads of any centralized procurement agencies
City/county legal counsel
Utility manager (if the jurisdiction has its own municipal utility)
Emergency managers and agency representatives from neighboring local governments are also valuable contacts,
since planners will coordinate mutual aid, as needed, through these people. Be sure to include any relevant people
from the local government who may work on or with Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and regional
Councils of Governments (COGs). They sometimes have valuable energy assurance expertise, or access to this
much-valued expertise.
State Government Contacts
■ ■ Emergency Management Agency (EMA): The primary emergency response agency in most States is the
State emergency management agency or similar authority. The State emergency management agency has
important access to State emergency response resources, and it serves as a key link to Federal resources,
making it a critical partner in energy assurance efforts.
■ ■ State Energy Office (SEO): Most State Energy Offices (SEOs) were established during the early 1970s in
response to the oil embargo. As a result, most SEOs are involved in monitoring petroleum supply issues.
Since the late 1980s, many SEOs have been placed within other State agencies that may or may not have the
responsibility for energy emergency management.
■ ■ Public Service Commission/Public Utility Commission (PUC): PUCs are regulatory agencies which monitor
regulated utilities and associated energy suppliers. States with non-regulated rural electric cooperatives and/
or municipally-owned utilities may also develop reporting/monitoring requirements for such systems. Electric
and gas utilities are generally required by PUCs to have up-to-date emergency response and power restoration
plans. These plans may or may not have to be filed with a public authority but are almost universally required
for licensing purposes. Most State emergency management agencies now incorporate utility and PUC
responders in their emergency response frameworks.
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http://www.naseo.org/eaguidelines/.
Local Government Energy Assurance Guidelines – Version 2.0 | 53