Senators Olshove, Cherry, Allen, Bernero, Basham and Prusi offered the following concurrent resolution:

            Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 45.

            A concurrent resolution to memorialize Congress to enact legislation mandating electricity reliability standards and rules.

            Whereas, On August 14, 2003, at nine minutes past 4:00 pm Eastern Daylight Time, an estimated 50 million people in large swaths of the Midwest and Northeast United States and Ontario, Canada experienced the largest electricity power outage in North American history.  In Michigan, for the first time in the company’s history, Detroit Edison Company’s (DTE) entire utility system was knocked out.  For almost three days, over 6 million Michiganders in Detroit and much of the southeastern part of the state were without electricity and other essential services such as water and sewers;  and

Whereas, Although no Michigan utilities or transmission companies were responsible or involved in the blackout, initial reports estimated that state and local governments suffered over $20 million in direct costs; DTE suffered $35 million in loses; over 70 manufacturing companies were forced to shut down; and Michigan residents lost an estimated $1 billion in total earnings. Fortunately, the blackout did not result in the loss of life; and

            Whereas, On August 15, 2003, President George W. Bush and Prime Minister Jean Chretien authorized the joint U.S.-Canada Power System Outage Task Force to investigate the causes of the blackout and recommend ways to reduce the possibility of future outages.  Among the task force’s many recommendations was the implementation of mandatory and enforceable electricity reliability standards and rules in both Canada and the United States, with noncompliance penalties to enforce the standards and rules; now, therefore, be it

            Resolved by the Senate, That we memorialize Congress to enact legislation mandating electricity reliability standards and rules; and be it further

            Resolved, That copies of this concurrent resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, and the members of the Michigan congressional delegation.