IEEE-USA News

IEEE-USA Gives Congressional Staff Food for Thought

by Greg Hill and Chris McManes

This fall and winter, IEEE-USA is co-sponsoring a series of luncheon briefings for Congressional staff on issues that affect not only the careers and livelihoods of U.S. IEEE members, but are also critically important to the nation’s health, economy and security. The briefings are designed to raise congressional awareness of key policy issues, such as the nation’s electrical grid reliability and the importance of federally funded research and development; and to establish IEEE-USA as a reliable and unbiased resource for members of Congress and their staff on complex technology policy issues.

On 24 September, IEEE-USA’s Energy Policy Committee (EPC) co-sponsored a congressional briefing, “An Engineering Perspective on the Blackout of 2003” with the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME – International) and the United States Energy Association in the Rayburn House Office Building.

Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas), chair of the Energy and Air Quality Subcommittee of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, was the keynote speaker. Barton predicted that Congress would pass an energy bill this year that includes mandatory reliability standards. He said that our free-market-based national energy sector ensures that the United States “has the most productive, most efficient economy in the world.”

“If we have a good energy policy, we're going to have a strong economy for many years to come,” the congressman added.

On 29 October, at the request of Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) and Rep. Judy Biggert (R-Ill.), the EPC again addressed issues surrounding the Northeast Blackout, co-sponsoring a second luncheon briefing, “Solving America’s Electrical Problems: The Benefits of Research and Development” with the IEEE Power Engineering Society (PES) and ASME, in conjunction with the members of the newly formed Congressional Research and Development Caucus. Research and development is an issue that Reps. Holt and Biggert champion. They co-chair and assembled the R&D Caucus, a group that highlights to Congress the importance of the country’s investment in R&D.

The event’s response far exceeded expectations, drawing more than 60 attendees who heard from industry experts about emerging technologies that, if adequately funded, could dramatically reduce the likelihood and frequency of future outages by improving existing electrical transmission and distribution systems. Conversely, speakers warned that if funding levels do not support developing next-generation technologies (such as the Department of Energy’s High Temperature Superconductivity program, Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage, Superconducting Dynamic Synchronous Condensers, and other innovative technologies), then the electric power system — and the American people — can expect to see repeats of August’s massive blackout at some point in the future.

Voters' Dollars, R&D Investment

Each of the briefing speakers emphasized how R&D investment — or lack thereof — could affect voters' wallets.

Dr. Massoud Amin, director and professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Minnesota, spoke at both briefings. Dr. Amin (a senior U.S. IEEE member), said that the cumulative cost of outages and power quality interruptions in our country is more than $118 billion per year. He has proposed a “self-healing” energy infrastructure “that will enable large national infrastructures to self-heal in response to threats, material failures and other destabilizers.”

What's Next on the Menu?

This winter, IEEE-USA's Committee on Transportation and Aerospace Policy plans to bring together a panel of experts to brief congressional staff on the importance of R&D in aviation and aeronautics. Check the IEEE-USA Web site (www.ieeeusa.org) for details.

Additional Resources

For more information on the topics covered by the first two congressional briefings, visit:

• www.ieeeusa.org/forum/POLICY/2003/082903.html - IEEE-USA’s recent written statement on the blackout to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

• www.epri.com/corporate/esff/default.asp - EPRI's "Electricity Sector Framework for the Future."

• www.ieee.org/pes - The IEEE Power Engineering Society Web site.

• www.asme.org - ASME-International's Web site.

 

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Greg Hill is Member & Electronic Communications Specialist at IEEE-USA in Washington, D.C.

Chris McManes is Senior Public Relations/Marketing Coordinator at IEEE-USA in Washington, D.C.