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House asks Homeland Security panel to probe MISO outage after refinery flaring disrupted Southeast Louisiana
Summary
A House resolution asked the Select Committee on Homeland Security to investigate a Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) event that caused power outages affecting refineries and local emergency notification practices.
Representative Bayham introduced a resolution asking the House Select Committee on Homeland Security to investigate a recent outage initiated by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator (MISO) that affected Southeastern Louisiana and caused power loss at refineries and local response concerns.
"Our refineries lost their energy. Our Homeland Security department in St. Bernard was not notified about this," Rep. Bayham said, describing refinery flaring and potential safety implications when plants lose power and must immediately dispose of process materials. He said the outage caused "flare up at the refineries" and that better communication was needed between operators, grid managers and local emergency responders.
Bayham told the chamber he had met with the committee chair and sought answers and possible improvements in notification and coordination so that refineries and local officials can respond safely if similar events recur. He moved final passage of the resolution and the House recorded the resolution as adopted with an affirmative recorded vote.
Ending: The resolution directs the Select Committee on Homeland Security to investigate the outage's causes and the state's notification and response; the committee is expected to report back with findings and recommendations.
