A HOUSE RESOLUTION TO RECOGNIZE MODERN SOCIETY'S RELIANCE UPON THE ELECTRICAL GRID AND THE HARM SOUTH CAROLINIANS COULD ENDURE IN THE EVENT OF AN EXTENDED DISRUPTION OF THE ELECTRICAL GRID DUE TO AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE OR SOLAR STORM AND TO ENCOURAGE THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION TO CREATE A DETAILED PLAN WITHIN THEIR CURRENT EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN THAT INCLUDES BOTH STEPS TO BE TAKEN TO HARDEN CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FROM AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE OR A SOLAR STORM, AS WELL AS ALTERNATIVE ENERGY SOURCES TO PROVIDE INDEPENDENCE FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME SHOULD THE ELECTRICAL GRID BE INCAPACITATED, AND IN THE EVENT THAT THE SOUTH CAROLINA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION UPDATES ITS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN TO INCLUDE FACTORS RELATED TO ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSES OR SOLAR STORMS, THAT THE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIVISION BE ENCOURAGED TO PROVIDE THE UPDATED EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS PLAN TO ALL MUNICIPALITIES IN THIS STATE.
Summary
H5542 is a House resolution recognizing South Carolina’s dependence on the electrical grid and the potential harms that could result from a prolonged grid failure caused by an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or a solar storm. The resolution states that electricity is essential to transportation, communications, employment, food preservation, safety, and life-sustaining medical equipment, and it frames EMP and solar-storm disruptions as serious threats that could affect the state’s residents and economy.
Rather than changing statutory law, the resolution encourages the South Carolina Emergency Management Division to incorporate EMP and solar-storm scenarios into its existing emergency preparedness planning. It specifically urges the agency to develop a detailed plan addressing how to harden critical infrastructure against such events and how to identify alternative energy sources that could sustain operations for an extended period if the grid were incapacitated. If the agency updates its plan, the resolution also encourages it to share the updated plan with municipalities across the state.
Impact
Because H5542 is a resolution, it does not amend the South Carolina Code or create enforceable duties. Its practical effect is advisory: it urges the Emergency Management Division to expand emergency planning to include EMP and solar storm contingencies, with attention to infrastructure hardening, backup power, and municipal coordination. The bill’s impact is therefore on emergency preparedness policy and planning priorities rather than on regulated parties or statutory obligations.
Sentiment
The overall sentiment reflected in the bill text is strongly supportive of proactive disaster preparedness and infrastructure resilience. The resolution presents EMP and solar storm planning as a prudent public-safety measure and emphasizes the state’s interest in protecting residents from catastrophic power-loss scenarios. No committee transcript or vote record is available, so there is no additional evidence of opposition or debate in the provided materials.
Contention
The main potential point of contention is the premise and scope of the threat: the resolution treats electromagnetic pulses and solar storms as credible risks requiring specific planning, which may prompt questions about likelihood, cost, and prioritization relative to other emergency needs. Another possible issue is whether the Emergency Management Division should devote resources to specialized grid-hardening and alternative-energy planning, and whether municipalities should receive updated plans as a matter of course. No recorded objections, amendments, or votes are included in the provided context.