Response Activities

There are three major types of events that the OE responds to:

• Natural Disasters – The United States due to its moderate climate faces a variety of natural events that affect the energy system. These include hurricanes, earthquakes, tornados, ice storms, and flooding. The extent of the damage to the energy infrastructure can vary from a small, short interruption to a large area, long term disruption. DOE tailors its response capabilities and activities to mitigate the entire spectrum of these events.
   
• Man-made Disasters – Energy is a critical sector that affects every portion of our society. This can make it a potential target for terrorist or other criminal activity. In addition, the complex nature of the energy system sometimes leads to accidents and interruptions of the system. A rapid, coordinated response minimizes the affect of these interruptions.
   
• National Special Security Events – OE also provides support to key events that occur around the country. These events range from political events such as the Republican and Democratic conventions to entertainment events such as the Olympics and Super Bowl.

Primary Response Actions

• Serve as the focal point within the Federal Government for receipt of information on actual or projected damage to energy supply and distribution systems and requirements for system design and operations, and on procedures for preparedness, restoration, recovery, and mitigation.
• Advise Federal, State, Tribal, and local authorities on priorities for energy restoration, assistance, and supply.
• Assist industry, State, Tribal, and local authorities with requests for emergency response actions as required to meet the Nation's energy demands.
• Assist Federal departments and agencies by locating fuel for transportation, communications, emergency operations, and National Defense.
• Provide guidance on the conservation and efficient use of energy to Federal, State, tribal, and local governments and to the public.
• Provide assistance to Federal, State, Tribal, and local authorities utilizing Department of Homeland Security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)-established communications systems.

Coordinated Response

• Federal Partners – A coordinated federal response is the best way to respond quickly to emergencies. DOE works closely with its federal partners to ensure federal resources are used efficiently to respond to any type of disruption to the energy system. For a list of federal partners and primary support functions please refer to the federal partners and functions fact sheet (PDF 83 KB).
• State and Local Partners – State, Tribal, and local governments have primary responsibility for prioritizing the restoration of energy facilities. State, Tribal, and local governments are fully and consistently integrated into ESF #12 operations.
• Private Industry – The private sector owns and operates the majority of the Nation's energy infrastructure and participates along with the DOE in developing best practices for planning, responding, and mitigating energy emergencies.