PNWER is referenced in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan as the model for bringing the public and private sectors together to address critical infrastructure security issues - July 2006
PNWER is listed as a best practice for working with the other states and provinces to address critical infrastructure security issues in the NGA's Governor's Guide to Homeland Security, March 2007
US Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Canadian Minister of Public Safety Stockwell Day at the 2006 PNWER Annual Summit in Edmonton, AB
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Advisory Council
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- Major General Craig Campbell, AK Adjutant General
- Bill Shawver, Idaho Director of Emergency Management
- Cam Filmer, Executive Director, Emergency Management British Columbia
- John Madden, Director, Alaska Emergency Management
- David Hodgins, Managing Director, Alberta Emergency Management Agency
- Ken Murphy, Director, Oregon Emergency Management
- Jerry Cochran, Senior Security Strategist, Microsoft
- Bob Windus, Emergency Management Director, Bonneville Power Administration
- Hal Schlomann, Executive Director, WA Assoc. of Water and Sewer Districts
- Mary Robinson, Manager Continuity Operations, Puget Sound Energy
- Dick Hovel, Homeland Security Advisor, Boeing
- Annie Searle, Senior VP, Washington Mutual
*Partial List
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“[PNWER] has had a profound impact on policymaking.”
- Hon. Stockwell Day, Canada’s Minister of Public Safety
[PNWER] is a living testament to the close relationship between our two countries."
-Michael Chertoff, US Secretary of Homeland Security
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Background
The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER) launched the Partnership for Regional Infrastructure Security and the PNWER Disaster Resilience and Homeland Security Program in November, 2001 with the goal of improving the ability of the Pacific Northwest to protect its critical infrastructures and withstand and recover from all-hazards disasters. Based in Seattle Washington, PNWER is a statutory, non-profit public/private organization formed in 1991 by legislatures of the northwest states of Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Oregon and Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, and Yukon Territory.
PNWER, through its Pacific Northwest Center for Regional Disaster Resilience, works with key public and private stakeholders to create and implement workable solutions to local and regional infrastructure vulnerability and other related needs. PNWER accomplishes this by raising awareness of infrastructure interdependencies, providing training and education, and developing tools, technologies, and approaches that build on existing capabilities and can be utilized across the United States, Canada, and the international community. click here for the PNWER website
The RDR Center’s mission is continuing and building upon a long legacy of PNWER’s work with states, municipalities, and other regions to secure interdependent infrastructures and develop disaster resilience. In July 2006, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan referenced PNWER as the model process to address critical infrastructure interdependencies. PNWER is working to foster public-private partnerships across the Pacific Northwest, including, Washington State, the Puget Sound area, the Portland/Vancouver area, Alberta and Alaska.
PNWER has organized four critical infrastructure interdependencies exercises over the past five years. Each exercise was designed by the stakeholders and reflected regional concerns (terrorism, cyber security, natural disaster, pandemic flu). An integrated Action Plan was created based on the findings and recommendations of the exercises. Numerous projects from the Action Plan are currently underway.
PNWER has worked with stakeholders for over four years to develop an information sharing system to allow infrastructures to send and receive critical information. This collaborative effort has a goal of maximizing real-time situational awareness by providing immediate distribution of information to those in the field who need to act on it.
PNWER serves as the Secretariat for NWACS, which was created after Blue Cascades II (September 2004). The mission of NWACS is to improve and maximize the cyber resilience of the Pacific Northwest region by maximizing opportunities and communications between local, regional and federal organizations, and enterprises.
The RDR Center is building on this extensive foundation of activities through:
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Developing and conducting regional infrastructure interdependencies initiatives focused on various threat scenarios that include regional cross-sector/cross discipline workshops and exercises to better understand threats, vulnerabilities, and develop strategies for action to address them;
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Thanks to our 2008 Sponsors
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PNWER Meets with Sec. Chertoff
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PNWER recently organized a private roundtable luncheon in Seattle with Secretary Chertoff and 17 private sector executives from around the Puget Sound Region to discuss security and trade issues.
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