President Trump\u2019s national emergency bans foreign-made power grid equipment over cybersecurity fears, but the White House still hasn\u2019t said which countries are actually targeted.Whether Utahns\u2019 rates go up depends entirely on how narrowly the federal government defines \u201crisky\u201d equipment \u2014 if the restrictions stay focused on inverters, Utah officials expect no rate impact, but if transformers get swept in too, Utahns could see rate increases.Rocky Mountain Power says it\u2019s not worried about consumer rates or security threats because the company began phasing out foreign tech years ago.<\/p>\n
President Donald Trump and the White House released an executive order<\/a> last week declaring a national state of emergency on the U.S. power grid. The reason, Trump claims, is that \u201ccertain foreign actors are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities\u201d in the power system, according to the Aug. 26 executive order. <\/p>\n To protect the electric grid from foreign security and cyberthreats, it bans the purchase, import or installation of foreign-made equipment supplied by countries that are threats \u2014 though the White House has yet to reveal which countries are included. <\/p>\n And that really matters. <\/p>\n Which countries are truly a threat?<\/p>\n \u201cAlmost everything that we buy in America is made overseas,\u201d said Utah House Public Utilities and Energy Committee Chair Colin W. Jack, R-St. George. <\/p>\n \u201cSo, this sounds pretty dire when (Trump) says, \u2018Well, we gotta not use so many international materials …\u2019 and there\u2019s probably nothing we could buy that isn\u2019t international materials,\u201d he continued.<\/p>\n Jack said he imagines the White House is specifically targeting wind, solar and battery products made in China.<\/p>\n This wouldn\u2019t come as a shock. Just earlier this week, Trump said, \u201cChina could not be happier with this anti data center movement\u201d in a Truth Social<\/a> post \u2014 claiming other countries that embrace modern technology pull ahead in the race for global control. <\/p>\n Jack agreed, saying as materials with spying capabilities proliferate on the grid, \u201cChina does have access to control a majority of the generation in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack \u2014 who is also an electrical engineer and former chief operating officer at Dixie Power \u2014 recognized the difficulties of eliminating all foreign dependence. He pointed to the example of Dixie Power buying transformers from General Electric, which is an American company, but has products assembled in Mexico. <\/p>\n