Prepared by the National Association of State Energy Officials
The purpose of this framework is to assist states in the design, development, and writing of the State Energy Assurance Plans that have been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. This framework is based on the State Energy Assurance Guidelines version 3.1 December 2009 and the following planning elements should be considered for inclusion in any well developed state plans. These are NOT required elements, rather ones that should be considered and used as appropriate in state plans, which will vary based on the needs of each state.
Plans can be in a single planning document or in several different documents or volumes. If multiple documents are used, there should be one document that ties them together and explains their relationship to one another.
States will need to make a determination as to whether parts, or entire plans, are sensitive and can be exempt from disclosure under state freedom of information acts or sunshine laws. Any section of the plan that is exempt from public disclosure should be in a separate section of the plan and appropriately labeled as such in the header or footer of each page.
Emergency preparedness includes activities associated with ensuring that staff is trained on the plan and its implementation and undertakes periodic training to remain current with state and federal plans. Exercises are another important element of preparedness and are provided for as part of the energy assurance program. These preparedness elements are not included in the following outline, but could be elements of the plan.
More guidance on the planning “process” can be found in a document titled: “Developing and Maintaining Emergency Operations Plans” Comprehensive Preparedness Guide" (CPG) 101 Version 2.0 (November 2010) prepared by the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This guidance is intended to promote a common understanding of the fundamentals of planning and decision making to help emergency planners examine a hazard and produce integrated, coordinated, and synchronized plans.