West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey has joined a multistate coalition urging Congress to pass the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act of 2024.
The destruction and life-threatening conditions just witnessed during Hurricane Helene have proven that bipartisan protections for AM radios in vehicles are critical—as electric vehicles and other new vehicles are being manufactured without the vital communication devices.
“The public warning system relies on AM stations to warn people of an impending emergency—as we all know, when nearly everything else quits working, you can rely on AM radio to function when it’s needed the most," Attorney General Morrisey said, joining in writing that “AM radio is the constant support network that provides life-saving information to our citizens.”
“During emergencies, it is vitally important that federal, state, and local officials be able to deliver emergency warnings and other information to their citizens. AM radio signals travel greater distances as compared to FM, and citizens can receive information via AM radio even when phone lines, electricity, and cell phones are inoperable… Nearly 80 AM radio stations across the country are Primary Entry Points for emergency alerts distributed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the National Weather Service. Those stations, alone, cover approximately 90% of the US population and ensure that state and federal agencies can quickly, dependably, and economically distribute life-saving information across vast geographical areas,” the coalition of 12 attorneys general wrote.
Knowing this information, the coalition has concerns regarding reports of car manufacturers not including AM radios in cars. In fact, in a letter from last year, seven former leaders of FEMA described the removal of AM radios from cars as a “grave threat to future local, state, and federal disaster response and relief efforts.”
The attorneys general urge Congress to “prioritize the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act and to support the protections of this vital communications network.”
Attorney General Morrisey joined the Iowa- and Florida-led letter with Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas and Utah.
Original source can be found here.