Michigan committee hears presentation on EMP protection device from MidAmerican Group

The House Committee on Homeland Security and Foreign Influence heard testimony from Keith Mazarin, president of MidAmerican Group, on technology his company says can absorb and dissipate electromagnetic pulses (EMPs), a threat he described as capable of destroying electronics across power, communications and transportation systems.

Mazarin told the committee that his company’s technology grew out of lightning-protection work and seven years of testing that led to a unit he described as able to absorb an EMP and dissipate it to ground. "An EMP pulse overwhelms and destroys every bit of electronics," Mazarin said, summarizing the threat to household and infrastructure electronics.

Why it matters: Committee members pressed for details about the device’s real-world capacity and limits and raised broader concerns about protecting hospitals, banks and other critical infrastructure. The members noted the state cannot reasonably protect every home at once and focused discussion on safeguarding key nodes of the grid and emergency services.

What Mazari…