The national press and Washington policy makers have barely mentioned one of the gravest vulnerabilities now facing the U.S. economy and homeland—the lack of security for the U.S. electric grid.

We have often called on the U.S. to develop a smart electric grid to accommodate energy generated by various sources, including renewables; and recognize and redirect power from oversupplied regions or cities to areas either underserved or temporarily short.

But more so, sequester or no sequester, budget or no budget, Congress should act at once to protect our electric grid from potential catastrophe, a possibility far likelier than most Americans might realize.

A gigantic solar flare last caused a geomagnetic storm and electro magnetic pulse (EMP) that struck North America in 1859, before any electric grid existed at all. But today, electronics run practically everything—leaving America highly exposed.

The National Academy of Sciences, chartered by Congress in 1863 to advance science and advise the federal government, reports that we can expect a large scale solar storm once a century. In short, we’re long overdue.