[House Report 116-308]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
116th Congress } { Report
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
1st Session } { 116-308
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WEATHERIZING INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE NORTH AND TERRORISM EMERGENCY
READINESS ACT OF 2019
_______
November 22, 2019.--Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on
the State of the Union and ordered to be printed
_______
Mr. Thompson of Mississippi, from the Committee on Homeland Security,
submitted the following
R E P O R T
[To accompany H.R. 3669]
[Including cost estimate of the Congressional Budget Office]
The Committee on Homeland Security, to whom was referred
the bill (H.R. 3669) to require the Secretary of Homeland
Security to conduct a collective response to a terrorism
exercise that includes the management of cascading effects on
critical infrastructure during times of extreme cold weather,
and for other purposes, having considered the same, report
favorably thereon without amendment and recommend that the bill
do pass.
CONTENTS
Page
Purpose and Summary.............................................. 2
Background and Need for Legislation.............................. 2
Hearings......................................................... 3
Committee Consideration.......................................... 3
Committee Votes.................................................. 3
Committee Oversight Findings..................................... 3
C.B.O. Estimate, New Budget Authority, Entitlement Authority, and
Tax Expenditures............................................... 4
Federal Mandates Statement....................................... 5
Statement of General Performance Goals and Objectives............ 5
Duplicative Federal Programs..................................... 5
Congressional Earmarks, Limited Tax Benefits, and Limited Tariff
Benefits.......................................................
Advisory Committee Statement.....................................
Applicability to Legislative Branch..............................
Section-by-Section Analysis of the Legislation................... 5
Changes in Existing Law Made by the Bill, as Reported............
PURPOSE AND SUMMARY
H.R. 3669, the ``Weatherizing Infrastructure in the North
and Terrorism Emergency Readiness Act of 2019,'' or WINTER Act,
would direct the Department of Homeland Security to develop and
conduct a terrorism training exercise that addresses the
effects of a successful terrorist attack on critical
infrastructure during an extreme cold weather event. The
exercise will involve a terrorist attack, an extreme cold
weather event, the effects on critical infrastructure, and how
the effects of a successful attack against critical
infrastructure could be mitigated by emergency managers, state
officials, and community stakeholders. The Department is then
required to submit a report to the appropriate Congressional
committees on the findings of such exercise, lessons learned,
and any proposed legislative changes that may be needed.
BACKGROUND AND NEED FOR LEGISLATION
In recent years, the U.S. has faced an increase in severe
winter weather.\1\ As climate change continues to change
weather patterns, extreme winter storms will become more
common.\2\ Climate change's effects to warm the planet also
produces more snowfall during winter storms--a warmer planet
evaporates more water into the atmosphere, and that moisture
means heavier snowfall.\3\ Although average temperatures
continue to increase across the globe,\4\ scientists are
beginning to study how a warmer Arctic may contribute to colder
winters in the eastern United States.\5\ Some studies have
found that abnormally warm Arctic temperatures make severe
winters in the Northeast two to four times more likely.\6\
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\1\Milman, Olivia. ``Extreme winter weather becoming more common as
Arctic warms, study finds.'' The Guardian. March 13, 2018. Accessed
August 16, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/13/
extreme-winter-weather-becoming-more-common-as-arctic-warms-study-
finds.
\2\Siegel, Ethan. ``This is why global warming is responsible for
freezing temperatures across the U.S.'' Forbes. January 30, 2019.
Accessed August 16, 2019. https://www.forbes.com/sites/startswithabang/
2019/01/30/this-is-why-global-warming-is-responsible-for-freezing-
temperatures-across-the-usa/#bafc273d8cf8.
\3\``4 reasons climate change is here, even though it's cold.''
Environmental Defense Fund. Accessed August 16, 2019. https://
www.edf.org/card/4-reasons-climate-change-still-happening-despite-cold-
weather.
\4\Ibid.
\5\Ibid.
\6\Gibbens, Sarah. ``Why a warming Arctic may be causing colder
U.S. winters.'' National Geographic. March 13, 2018. Accessed August
16, 2019. https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2017/07/global-
warming-arctic-colder-winters-climate-change-spd/.
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Winter storms and blizzards can bring extreme cold,
freezing rain, snow, ice, and high winds.\7\ Access to heated
areas are crucial for the health and safety of individuals in
extreme cold events. In February 2019, 21 people died in
weather-related incidents caused by a polar vortex in the
Midwest.\8\ Across the U.S., 6,660 people died from hypothermia
or exposure to cold between 2006 and 2010, equating to 1,320
deaths a year.\9\
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\7\Department of Homeland Security. Snowstorms & Extreme Cold.
Accessed August 16, 2019. https://www.ready.gov/winter-weather.
\8\Gajanan, Mahita. ``21 people died in weather-related incidents
during the polar vortex.'' Time. February 1, 2019. Accessed August 16,
2019. https://time.com/5518469/21-people-died-cold-polar-vortex/.
\9\Berko et al. ``Deaths Attributed to Heat, Cold, and Other
Weather Events in the United States, 2006-2010.'' National Health
Statistics Reports. July 30, 2014. Accessed August 16, 2019. http://
www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr076.pdf.
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On January 29, 2019 in Michigan, a fire at an energy supply
facility during extreme winter weather had the potential for
catastrophe.\10\ The fire reduced the capacity for the
facility, threatening resident's ability to heat their
homes.\11\ In that instance, the state government sent out a
notice through the Integrated Public Alert Warning System
(IPAWS) to residents telling them to turn down their
thermostats to 65 degrees and use less energy to heat their
homes, ensuring there was never a shortage.\12\ However, in the
event of a terrorist attack, such communication may be lost in
the chaos, or still not enough to stop some customers from
losing the ability to heat their homes. A terrorist attack
disrupting critical infrastructure during a winter storm could
endanger lives, and first responders and others must be
prepared to mitigate the effects of a loss of power to reduce
the threat of loss of life.
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\10\Wisely, John and Christina Hall. ``How fire and ice almost took
down Michigan's Energy Supply.'' Detroit Free Press. February 1, 2019.
Accessed August 16, 2019. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/
michigan/2019/02/01/michigan-consumers-energy/2734657002/.
\11\Ibid.
\12\Ibid.
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HEARINGS
For the purposes of section 103(i) of H. Res. 6 of the
116th Congress, the following hearing was used to develop H.R.
3669:
On April 9, 2019, the Committee held a
hearing entitled, ``Assessing the Homeland Security
Impacts of a Changing Climate.'' The Committee received
testimony from Astrid Caldas, Ph.D., Senior Climate
Change Scientist, Union of Concerned Scientists;
Timothy Manning, Senior Advisor to the Pacific Disaster
Center and the President and CEO of Berglind-Manning
Inc.; Kristie Trousdale, MPH, Deputy Director,
Children's Environmental Health Network; and Dan
Eggleston, EFO, CEO, CMO, President and Chairman of the
Board, International Association of Fire Chiefs.
COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION
The Committee met on July 17, 2019, with a quorum being
present, to consider H.R. 3669 and ordered the measure to be
reported to the House with a favorable recommendation, without
amendment, by unanimous consent.
COMMITTEE VOTES
Clause 3(b) of rule XIII of the Rules of the House of
Representatives requires the Committee to list the recorded
votes on the motion to report legislation and amendments
thereto.
No recorded votes were requested during consideration of
H.R. 3669.
COMMITTEE OVERSIGHT FINDINGS
In compliance with clause 3(c)(1) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives, the Committee advises that the
findings and recommendations of the Committee, based on
oversight activities under clause 2(b)(1) of rule X of the
Rules of the House of Representatives, are incorporated in the
descriptive portions of this report.
CONGRESSIONAL BUDGET OFFICE ESTIMATE NEW BUDGET AUTHORITY, ENTITLEMENT
AUTHORITY, AND TAX EXPENDITURES
With respect to the requirements of clause 3(c)(2) of rule
XIII of the Rules of the House of Representatives and section
308(a) of the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 and with respect
to requirements of clause (3)(c)(3) of rule XIII of the Rules
of the House of Representatives and section 402 of the
Congressional Budget Act of 1974, the Committee adopts as its
own the estimate of the estimate of new budget authority,
entitlement authority, or tax expenditures or revenues
contained in the cost estimate prepared by the Director of the
Congressional Budget Office.
U.S. Congress,
Congressional Budget Office,
Washington, DC, August 1, 2019.
Hon. Bennie G. Thompson,
Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security,
House of Representatives, Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. Chairman: The Congressional Budget Office has
prepared the enclosed cost estimate for H.R. 3669, the
Weatherizing Infrastructure in the North and Terrorism
Emergency Readiness Act of 2019.
If you wish further details on this estimate, we will be
pleased to provide them. The CBO staff contact is Aldo
Prosperi.
Sincerely,
Phillip L. Swagel,
Director.
Enclosure.
[GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
H.R. 3669 would require the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) to conduct an exercise to test whether DHS and local
officials are prepared to respond to the effects of a terrorist
attack that occurs during a winter storm. The bill also would
require DHS to submit a report to the Congress on the results
of the exercise.
To perform the exercise required by H.R. 3669, DHS would
use computer simulation models and facilitate the remote
participation of homeland security personnel and local
officials. The exercise would simulate the cascading
consequences of disruptions to critical infrastructure such as
power generation and transmission facilities. Using information
about the costs of similar exercises, CBO estimates that
implementing H.R. 3669 would cost $1 million over the 2019-2024
period; such spending would be subject to availability of
appropriated funds.
The CBO staff contact for this estimate is Aldo Prosperi.
The estimate was reviewed by Leo Lex, Deputy Assistant Director
for Budget Analysis.
FEDERAL MANDATES STATEMENT
The Committee adopts as its own the estimate of Federal
mandates prepared by the Director of the Congressional Budget
Office pursuant to section 423 of the Unfunded Mandates Reform
Act.
DUPLICATIVE FEDERAL PROGRAMS
Pursuant to clause 3(c) of rule XIII, the Committee finds
that H.R. 3669 does not contain any provision that establishes
or reauthorizes a program known to be duplicative of another
Federal program.
PERFORMANCE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES
Pursuant to clause 3(c)(4) of rule XIII of the Rules of the
House of Representatives, the objective of H.R. 3669 is to
require the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a
training exercise that addresses the effects of a successful
terrorist attack on critical infrastructure during an extreme
cold weather event and how to mitigate the consequences.
ADVISORY ON EARMARKS
In compliance with rule XXI of the Rules of the House of
Representatives, this bill, as reported, contains no
congressional earmarks, limited tax benefits, or limited tariff
benefits as defined in clause 9(d), 9(e), or 9(f) of the rule
XXI.
SECTION-BY-SECTION ANALYSIS OF THE LEGISLATION
Section 1. Short title
This section provides that this bill may be cited as the
``Weatherizing Infrastructure in the North and Terrorism
Emergency Readiness Act of 2019.''
Sec 2. Exercise on terrorist attack during extreme cold
This section directs the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) to develop and conduct a terrorism training exercise that
addresses the effects of a successful terrorist attack on
critical infrastructure during an extreme cold weather event.
The exercise will involve a terrorist attack, an extreme cold
weather event, the effects on critical infrastructure, and how
the effects of a successful attack against critical
infrastructure could be mitigated by emergency managers, state
officials, and community stakeholders. DHS is then required to
submit a report to the appropriate Congressional committees on
the findings of such exercise, lessons learned, and any
proposed legislative changes that may be needed.
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