EMA, UPMRA Participate In National Clear Path VIII Disaster Response Exercise
Last week, EMA and the Utah Petroleum Marketers and Retailers Association (UPMRA) participated in Clear Path VIII, a national government wide disaster response exercise.
The purpose in such exercises is to enhance policies and procedures, identify areas for collective improvement, and strengthen relationships and cooperation between industry and government energy sector partners in response to catastrophic incidents.
Most of all, EMA participates in these events to understand what is needed from our industry, to identify and create solutions for obstacles, and to make certain that the needs of energy marketers are well known among the responders, especially throughout the government departments.
Each national exercise is linked to the National Preparedness Goal’s Core Capabilities and is in a different part of the country, with this being a 7.0 magnitude earthquake that ruptures the Wasatch fault one mile from Salt Lake City, Utah, while temperatures were in the 20s°F with five inches of snow on the ground.
EMA participated to provide national expertise, while Utah’s John Hill served as a state subject matter expert. John has also participated in such exercises in the past, so he was a strong asset which is particularly important since the exercise may also be used as a platform to inform, shape, and prepare the energy sector’s participation in future Wasatch Fault Zone exercises.
EMA and UPMRA will participate again in December, on the final day of Clear Path VIII, with public affairs personnel from the energy sector and from government partners.
Last week, EMA also participated in a government wide Oil and Natural Gas 2020 Storm Season After Action Report with our observations related to processes to sustain and opportunities for improvement related to how the Federal, State, Industry and regional energy partners were able to support the energy sector during this year’s active storm season.
Finally, last Wednesday, EMA served as a presenter in a nationwide oil and natural gas educational webinar for state emergency operation center professionals.
