[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6229870,"mediaKeyId","3446023-0dd83273d1d6615b1a4a50f76f549ef5","parentId",3446023,"title","Retired Marine and security experts warn Louisiana lawmakers of EMP and solar-weather risks to the grid","audioSeconds",5154,"startMs",3476000,"endMs",8630000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3446023-0dd83273d1d6615b1a4a50f76f549ef5&start=3476&end=8630","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3446023-0dd83273d1d6615b1a4a50f76f549ef5/thumbnail_3476000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6229870/Louisiana/Retired-Marine-and-security-experts-warn-Louisiana-lawmakers-of-EMP-and-solar-weather-risks-to-the-grid","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229870-ba0b09d7898adaa94521674525465785/orig.mp4?Expires=1770496116&Signature=h9sW0NtOLTpPJvzXfdiCTsUProdIlThQ9R-kaHjVxyEU2uxNebFU22WPeEKDxgfoXAm8W-7ALwm6nt50JB~0sSqaOmq470uKKKe1ogugT8Ccmmp3BdbGeiTII~-7MiN8GXKJc7fSPHl4G3ndNExNAY5RqEA6nx2hqVNSgMIeXkNZkHcWSqAcArb-sC3ZATlekSmF7-9VORq5y4y9rZu0m7fRupKdNFMIk~fYqZoathMDRhx3kN1QkSXvDV59F8142lBD4Uhi0SIwAuNsv0hpSEEwBfeU7485zfRAZeCJZS0NYYsmi1W-t5mQ0OnoPhMLIjtqPQc-ls2Noy~-~YSZoA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Louisiana Legislature","date","2025-05-22T00:00:00Z","article","Retired Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Waller told the House Select Committee on Homeland Security on May 22 that electromagnetic threats — both manmade and natural — pose a substantial risk to Louisiana's electric grid and to the state's critical infrastructure.

\"Taking down the electric grid is exactly how our enemies can and are planning currently to take down this civilization,\" Waller said, urging state leaders to act where federal responses have lagged.

Waller outlined six threat vectors to the grid and focused on two he said have been ignored for decades: supply-chain vulnerabilities in high-voltage transformers and electromagnetic threats from high-altitude nuclear detonations and extreme solar storms (ground-induced currents). He cited a 2019 inspection of a transformer that found a hardware backdoor and said there are roughly 550 transformers of Chinese origin on U.S. systems.

Waller described the technical risk: a high-altitude burst or severe coronal mass ejection can induce ground currents that ‘‘catastrophically ruin’’ large transformers and argued that the current North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards provide insufficient protection in many southern U.S. locations, including Louisiana. He said replacing damaged large transformers could take four to six years and that a single damaged high-voltage transformer can cost tens of millions of dollars to replace.

Waller promoted technological mitigations such as neutral-ground blockers and substation hardening, pointing to deployed solutions with per-unit costs far below the economic losses he says solar weather already causes. He cited an Oak Ridge National Laboratory study and Department of Energy and Department of Defense analyses in support of recommended protections.

Representatives and committee members asked about domestic manufacturing capacity for transformers and the economics of protecting critical assets. Representative Amade (Representative Amade) and Representative Cruz raised the potential for Louisiana and Texas to develop domestic manufacturing and suggested incentives and Defense Production Act mechanisms for onshore production.

Entergy representative Jody Montelaro told the committee the state's utilities take grid security seriously and that Louisiana's low share of intermittent renewables (about 2–3 percent, Montelaro said) helps preserve baseload capacity. Montelaro encouraged legislative coordination with the Louisiana Public Service Commission and offered continued cooperation with the committee on potential policy steps.

Waller urged the committee to consider a state-level resolution and to educate the Public Service Commission, utilities and legislators about immediate, affordable mitigations — steps he said could substantially reduce the risk of long-term, widespread outages.

No formal vote or regulation resulted from the briefing; members said they would continue the dialogue with utilities, the Public Service Commission and federal partners.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","House Homeland Security May 22, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Retired Lieutenant Colonel Tommy Waller briefed the House Select Committee on Homeland Security about electromagnetic threats to the U.S. electric grid — from adversary-directed attacks to natural solar storms — and urged state-level action to harden transformers and critical infrastructure.","taxTitle","2025 Legislature LA, Louisiana","taxId",78558,"location","Louisiana","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6229874,"House committee adopts HR133 after-action report, urges further review of FEMA spending and hospital impacts",2189,109000,2298000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3446023-0dd83273d1d6615b1a4a50f76f549ef5&start=109&end=2298","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3446023-0dd83273d1d6615b1a4a50f76f549ef5/thumbnail_109000.jpg","/articles/6229874/Louisiana/House-committee-adopts-HR133-after-action-report-urges-further-review-of-FEMA-spending-and-hospital-impacts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6229874-9e96777c03b09ee810e6c3f7ad74d98d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770496116&Signature=ot-o2GbiccEhgY8y3dNn3E0D2gSniwQINNx3n669FH4TdXjCdOl6MNUEm9k9dY5WzFRFA5TpiJYecMAXKWD~ng5jQGzR97rC8ysYZfRvd5TYqJgSC0cWqxk3WD0b9nhi4pC11Bw8EBf-anYs1ojSRrwdgIwtEeOGeOC4ytAXd1bdJb-55qVO7wGxNivSiUPbM45hWsrKJ0LvAoEMIR-TbOHqXIyywqto68IrE4ucteZGXN8xmMpzIyZ-XTquQ~-XWxo7enDIOXDIiLk0DhZqdxjUyLZSCkcN87SuM8YSUQEAXJswpY6lUpAZf1865uAAQM7Ew-JLW8Qg9FsgiLLdiQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The House Select Committee on Homeland Security on May 22 adopted the committee's after-action report on the state's COVID-19 emergency response, the document produced under House Resolution 133 that compiles hearings, data calls and legislative suggestions from two days of testimony last September.

The report, presented by Vice Chair Owen (Representative Owen), will be posted publicly after the committee's adoption and contains a one-page set of five broad recommendations and a list of 29 legislative proposals intended for the next legislative session.

\"I've offered up House Resolution 133 last year and it went through judiciary committee,\" Vice Chair Owen said while presenting the report, describing the project's scope across health, education, the economy and executive-branch actions. He told the committee the work included hearings, data calls to state agencies and records reviews at several state offices.

The committee discussion flagged several open questions the report does not resolve. Members asked for more direct input from hospitals and frontline health workers, clarification of federal spending tied to temporary facilities and more research into student learning impacts and the experiences of people who were minors during the emergency.

Representative Knox said the report referenced a roughly $100 million federal expenditure tied to a temporary convention-center facility and noted reporting that suggested the amount could be larger. \"What concerned me ... was the use of hospitals being overwhelmed,\" Knox said, urging clearer evidence from hospitals on staffing shortages and whether mandates contributed to staffing losses.

Committee members made several oversight commitments: to continue inquiry into FEMA's role and federal funds tied to the convention-center facility, and to press for continued data from the Department of Health, the Department of Education and other agencies. Chairman Gallais (Chairman Gallais) said the committee would \"continue to investigate and do what we can again in our capacity\" and work with the Speaker's office to publish the report and attached records.

Public commenters and committee members emphasized protecting individual rights and preventing future mandates without clear legal and safety bases. Jill Hines, identified as co-director of Health Freedom Louisiana, urged committee support for pending legislation to prohibit vaccine mandates and asked the committee to transmit a recommendation to send HB 555 to the Health and Welfare Committee.

The committee approved the report by unanimous consent after Representative Amade (Representative Amade) moved to adopt it. The committee said it will continue oversight, pursue outstanding data calls and produce follow-up findings as additional records and investigations become available.

The adoption does not finish the committee's work: members explicitly listed further inquiries they plan to pursue, including FEMA's accounting for temporary facilities, more hospital-level testimony on staffing and workload, and additional data collection on educational impacts.","The Louisiana House Select Committee on Homeland Security adopted a draft after-action report on the state's COVID-19 emergency response (House Resolution 133), including 29 legislative recommendations and calls for further data and investigations into FEMA spending and hospital staffing impacts.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Retired Marine and security experts warn Louisiana lawmakers of EMP and solar-weather risks to the grid

House committee adopts HR133 after-action report, urges further review of FEMA spending and hospital impacts