Utah EMP task force director urges grid hardening, warns of solar and weaponized EMP threats

Bob McEntee, director of the Utah EMP Task Force, told a Davis County Conservatives forum on Oct. 2 that electromagnetic pulse events—from high-altitude nuclear detonations to extreme solar storms—pose a credible threat to the U.S. power grid and to critical infrastructure in Utah.

"EMP is an electromagnetic pulse," McEntee said, describing the phenomenon and both natural (solar) and man-made sources. He cited historical examples and near-misses, including the Quebec geomagnetic storm in March 1989 and a 2012 solar event that narrowly missed Earth. "In 2012, we had this x class solar flare and it missed us in our orbit by 3 days," McEntee said.

McEntee described the three broad U.S. interconnections (western, eastern and Texas) and warned that a targeted attack or extreme solar event could damage multiple large transformers and leave regions without power for months. He noted that the industry maintains only a small number of spare transformers and that replacement lead times can be long. He also referenced the 2013 Metcalf substation attack in California as evidence that physical sabotage is feasible.

On solutions, McEntee said technical fixes exist: protective measures such as Faraday shielding, undergrounding and hardening transformer oil coolers can reduce vulnerability. He cited an estimate, based on Idaho National Laboratory research cited in his presentation, that retrofitting or protective work for a single large transformer can be in the order of $100,000.

McEntee urged state-level action because federal efforts have stalled. He pointed to Utah—s House Joint Resolution 14 (2019), which unanimously urged attention to grid hardening, and proposed a funding model for the work: a modest user fee on electric, gas and water bills (he suggested a half-percent user fee as an example) to create a dedicated fund for hardening and physical protection that would be spent on defined projects within a set time frame.

He also described the strategic rationale: attackers could use a small number of weapons to inflict outsized damage on civilian infrastructure; he said Iran—s war plans discussed a two-EMP attack pattern and warned that an attack originating from a submarine or satellite would complicate attribution.

McEntee urged residents and lawmakers to treat grid hardening as "cheap insurance" and to engage local businesses that might see economic advantage in hosting hardened infrastructure. He said the Utah EMP Task Force has a white paper and contact information available for legislators and interested citizens and that he provides briefings to local officials.

After the presentation, McEntee fielded audience questions about costs and industry engagement. He said the federal cost estimate previously discussed in national briefings was roughly in the billions; he argued a state-focused, phased approach could start in populous counties and expand over time.

McEntee described several technical and planning points: (1) solar storms and high-altitude detonations produce different pulse signatures and require overlapping protections; (2) many smaller electronic devices and cars would likely continue to operate while large grid components are most at risk; and (3) personal preparedness (water, medical supplies) is important but insufficient compared with systemic hardening.

McEntee recommended contacting the Utah EMP Task Force and reviewing the group—s white paper; he said materials and a website (utahemptaskforce.org) are available for those seeking more detail.

Bob McEntee is the director of the Utah EMP Task Force.