The House of Representatives passed a bill, H.R. 3410, on Monday, December 1, 2014 that requires the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a public education campaign about electromagnetic pulse (EMP) threats. The bill also authorizes research into the prevention and mitigation of EMP events. The bill will need approval from the Senate and then the President to be made into law.
Rep. Pat Meehan (R-PA) said “a successful large scale EMP event could damage electrical power systems, electronics and information systems, and these effects could cascade into other interdependent infrastructures such as telecommunications, gas and water.”