WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced that the U.S. Department of Energy has awarded $996,658 to the state of New Jersey under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to improve New Jersey’s emergency preparedness plans to prevent and ensure quick recovery from energy supply disruptions. Specifically, agencies will use the funds to hire or retrain staff and expand their capacity to address challenges to the country’s energy systems, including emergency situations such as blackouts, hurricanes, ice storms, and disruptions to heating supplies.“A reliable modern and reliable energy system is important for our economy and our quality of life,” said Menendez. “Disruptions from blackouts and natural disasters have the potential to bring economic activity to a halt and threaten the health and safety of our families. These funds will help ensure that energy disruptions are prevented and responded to efficiently and effectively.”The goal of this funding is for states to plan for energy supply disruption risks and vulnerabilities and in this way lessen the devastating impact that such incidents can have on the economy and the health and safety of the public. Each state will be required to track energy emergencies to assess the restoration and recovery times of any supply disruptions; to train appropriate personnel on energy infrastructure and supply systems; and conduct and participate in state and regional energy emergency exercises to evaluate the effectiveness of their energy assurance plans. The awards for energy assurance capabilities will also help states address cyber security concerns and prepare for the challenges of integrating smart grid technologies and renewable energy sources into the transmission network.  As part of the program, states are also encouraged to coordinate and communicate best practices with one another, in order to build both state-level and regional resiliency.                                           ###