I would like to welcome everyone back this afternoon to the second half of our Joint Subcommittee Hearing on the Y2K issue. This morning in my Readiness Subcommittee we dealt with the effect on our military. This afternoon we will examine what the effect might be on the nuclear and chemical industries, as well as hear how the utilities are preparing for the Year 2000.
It is very important to take all three perspectives into account, power disruptions from nuclear and electrical power plants can cause problems for facilities that store and use toxic chemicals. The Y2K bug potential power outages can cause computer system failures for any program controlled by a PC such as fire alarms, thermostats, security systems, door locks, and heating and air-conditioning systems; just to name a few.
I know that industry and the government agencies have been busy trying to ensure that any problems caused by the Y2K issue will be minimal. But there is of course concern from private citizens everywhere, because of our society's reliance on the computer.
The purpose of today's hearing is not to spread panic, but to hear exactly what steps are being taken to ensure that there are no public safety problems as we approach the year 2000.
It is my understanding that 98% of the electrical systems are participating in industry-wide readiness assessments, which includes 100% of operational nuclear reactors; and that more than 50% of mission critical components have been tested.
What I would like to hear from the witnesses today is:
1) Are facilities on track for responding to the Y2K issue?
2) Are the Federal Agencies taking the necessary precautions to safeguard public safety?, and
3) What remains to be done?
This is a very important hearing, the public has been hit by misleading information in the popular press concerning the Y2K issue and I hope we can separate the facts from the fiction today and concentrate on the real issues and problems that we face.