Department of Homeland
Security
Daily Open Source
Infrastructure Report
for 10 April 2008
Current Nationwide
Threat Level is
For info click here
http://www.dhs.gov/
•
The New York Times reports American Airlines said late Tuesday that it expected to
cancel as many as 500 flights to re-inspect its fleet of 300 MD-80 jetliners to make sure a
wiring bundle in the wheel wells was stowed properly. (See item 16)
•
According to the Associated Press, the infrastructure that delivers water to the nation’s
cities is badly aging and in need of repairs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
says utilities will need to invest more than $277 billion over the next two decades on
repairs and improvements to drinking water systems. Water industry engineers put the
figure at about $480 billion. (See item 23)
DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Fast Jump
Production Industries: Energy; Chemical; Nuclear Reactors, Materials and Waste;
Defense Industrial Base; Dams
Service Industries: Banking and Finance; Transportation; Postal and Shipping;
Information Technology; Communications; Commercial Facilities
Sustenance and Health: Agriculture and Food; Water; Public Health and Healthcare
Federal and State: Government Facilities; Emergency Services; National Monuments and
Icons
Energy Sector
Current Electricity Sector Threat Alert Levels: Physical: ELEVATED,
Cyber: ELEVATED
Scale: LOW, GUARDED, ELEVATED, HIGH, SEVERE [Source: ISAC for the Electricity Sector (ES−ISAC) −
[http://www.esisac.com]
1. April 9, Energy Current – (Southeast) Leak shuts down Independence Hub.
Operations have been shut down at the Independence Hub natural gas platform in the
Gulf of Mexico after a leak was discovered on a pipeline near the platform. Production
was shut-in on parts of the pipeline between Independence Hub and a junction 134 miles
away, isolating that part of the system. Crews are currently on the scene investigating
the leak to determine what actions will be taken.
Source: http://www.energycurrent.com/index.php?id=2&storyid=9869
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2. April 9, Associated Press – (Pennsylvania) Sunoco says Pa. refinery to stay closed
during power outage probe. Sunoco Inc. declines to estimate how long its 180,000
barrel-a-day Marcus Hook oil refinery will stay closed while an electrical failure is
investigated. The power outage forced the refinery to close Monday night. The
shutdown involved dramatic flaring at the refinery, and nitrous oxide was emitted from a
neighboring chemical unit. Electricity was restored in about five hours. But a
spokesperson said Tuesday that production will not resume until the company finds the
cause of the power failure and is sure the plant is safe.
Source:
http://www.philly.com/philly/wires/ap/news/state/pennsylvania/20080409_ap_sunocosa
ysparefinerytostayclosedduringpoweroutageprobe.html
3. April 9, Reuters – (New Jersey) Sunoco New Jersey refinery releases dust. Sunoco
Inc. released an unspecified amount of alumina silica from its 145,000 barrel per day
Eagle Point, New Jersey, refinery on Monday evening, blanketing several cars in West
Deptford Township with the white dust, local media reported Wednesday. The dust is
considered “a non-hazardous material,” a Sunoco spokesperson told the Gloucester
County Times. “It’s considered a nuisance dust, if anything. It’s generally nonhazardous.” A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental
Protection told the Times that the agency was notified of the release on Tuesday
morning and the cause of the release is being investigated. Sunoco will compensate area
residents for any clean-up costs, the Sunoco spokesperson said.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/marketsNews/idUSN0945492420080409
4. April 8, Platts – (National) Emissions debate tops industry concerns: Platts/
Capgemini study. A majority of executives in the electricity and natural gas industries
in the U.S. and Canada said global warming, emissions, and carbon regulation top their
list of concerns, according to a study by consulting firm Capgemini and Platts. The
study follows a survey of nearly 100 executives, listing the five most critical issues
facing the energy industry. Nearly 95 percent said the industry’s environmental focus
increased from 2006 to 2007, and 77 percent identified global warming and climate
change as the issues generating the most concern. Other leading issues are addressing
industry regulation, building new infrastructure, while maintaining or replacing aging
infrastructure, coping with an aging workforce, and increasing use of new technologies
to enhance energy management, such as demand response and advanced meters.
Source:
http://www.platts.com/Electric%20Power/News/6853547.xml?sub=Electric%20Power&
p=Electric%20Power/News&?undefined&undefined
5. April 8, Public Service Electric and Gas Company – (New Jersey) PSE&G receives
green light to launch solar investment program. Public Service Electric and Gas
Company (PSE&G) today received approval from state regulators to begin offering
$105 million in loans to help finance the installation of solar systems on homes,
businesses, and municipal buildings throughout its electric service area. The funding
will provide a source of stable, secure capital to spur additional investment in solar
energy. Initially, the program will only be available to non-residential customers.
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PSE&G needs approval from the state Department of Banking and Insurance to provide
direct loans to residential customers. There are also plans to review residential loan
documents with a group of stakeholders before the program is offered to residential
customers. The program will support the development of 30 megawatts of solar power,
designed to fulfill about 50 percent of the renewable portfolio standard requirements in
PSE&G’s service area for the energy years 2009 and 2010.
Source: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/080408/nytu111.html?.v=101
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Chemical Industry Sector
6. April 9, Bennington Banner – (Vermont) Firm tests for contamination near Mace
facility. A firm contracted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is
drilling soil samples near the Holden-Leonard Mill this week to test for contamination
of “tear gas agent” by Mace Security International, which is located within the mill. An
EPA spokesman said a search warrant, issued by the U.S. District Court for the District
of Vermont, was executed at the company’s Bennington location in February. The
search focused on discovering whether hazardous substances were being improperly
stored, according to company documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange
Commission (SEC). The spokesman said the EPA’s findings during the initial search on
February 22 have led to this week’s testing outside the former mill where the company
once produced tear gas. According to SEC filings, the EPA identified metal
contaminated soils on the building grounds, which is believed to be waste from sand
blasting paint from the building. The agency also found about 130 drums of hazardous
waste gases generated from the testing of the defense spray units sold by the company,
55 thousand pounds of 2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile, a chemical used to make tear gas,
stored in eight-pound plastic containers, and three steal drums containing a chemical
used to make pyrotechnic grenades. The company’s SEC filing also states that the EPA
is requiring Mace and the building owner, Vermont Mill Properties, to remove and
properly dispose of the hazardous waste and properly store all hazardous material.
Source: http://www.benningtonbanner.com/localnews/ci_8859949
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Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector
7. April 9, Brattleboro Reformer – (National) VY told to check supplies Mass.-produced
parts not checked for safety. Nuclear power plant operators are being warned to
double-check components manufactured by a Foxborough, Massachusetts, parts
supplier. Those parts, which include fuses, resistors, and capacitors, may not have been
properly checked for use in safety-related systems at plants. The discrepancy was
discovered during an audit of Invensys, Inc. conducted last fall. “The expectation is the
(plant operators) would do these checks,” said a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission (NRC). “Before these parts are put in place, they are supposed
to undergo a quality assurance check. This audit found this process was not taking
place.” The components are used in recording equipment that keeps track of the status
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and operations of various safety systems in a nuclear power plant. The NRC has notified
its resident inspectors at the affected nuclear power plants. Inspectors will determine
what the operators are doing to address the issue, including performing checks on any
parts installed. Several nuclear power plant operators were listed as having received
Invensys parts, including Dominion Nuclear, Constellation, Exelon, and Entergy.
Source: http://www.reformer.com/ci_8859857?source=most_viewed
8. April 9, Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter – (Wisconsin) FBI among units probing
threat against nuclear plant. About 450 employees of Point Beach Nuclear Plant were
evacuated Tuesday morning after a convenience store clerk reported that a man had
asked for directions to Nuclear Road, where the plant is located, and then said he “came
to blow up the place,” according to a press release from the Two Rivers Police
Department. The FBI, Point Beach Nuclear Plant, the Manitowoc County Sheriff’s
Department, and the Two Rivers Police Department conducted a joint investigation.
Information from the surveillance video at the gas station led authorities to a vehicle
parked at the nuclear plant. A man from Hull, Massachusetts, working as a contractor at
the plant had rented the car in Milwaukee. His vehicle was searched and no threats were
found. No charges are being pursued, according to police. About 500 employees were
on site when plant officials were notified of a “credible threat,” a plant spokesperson
said. Those not required to respond to the situation were evacuated to the Point Beach
Energy Center at 8:30 a.m. and went back to their jobs at noon. Plant operators declared
an “unusual event” at 8:16 a.m. and exited that classification at 12:26 p.m.
Source:
http://www.htrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080409/MAN0101/804090522/1
358/MANnews
9. April 8, Platts – (National) U.S. reactors eight or more years away from coming
online: NEI CNO. New nuclear power plants are more likely to come online in the U.S.
in the 2016-2017 timeframe than around 2015, said the chief nuclear officer at the
Nuclear Energy Institute on Monday. Utilities have been talking about bringing reactors
into service within the next seven or eight years, but he said that projects under
development are now closer to eight or nine years away from completion. He told an
audience at the American Bar Association’s spring meeting in Washington that he hopes
the nuclear industry will work on a limited number of projects, somewhere between four
and eight plants, for the “first wave” of new construction. If those are successful, he
said, the “pipeline will be pretty full” for the next round of construction around 2020.
Source:
http://www.platts.com/Nuclear/News/8642311.xml?sub=Nuclear&p=Nuclear/News&?u
ndefined&undefined
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Defense Industrial Base Sector
10. April 8, South Florida Sun-Sentinel – (National) Coast Guard’s new technology can
locate endangered boaters quickly. A new set of high-tech radio receivers being
installed in Coast Guard stations in Palm Beach, Broward, and Miami-Dade Counties
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will pinpoint the locations of mayday calls – a technological advance projected to save
lives and reduce costs, officials said. Under the present system, rescuers must rely on
guesswork to narrow the location of the boater who needs help. The new Rescue 21
system uses taller antennas that can pick up signals from a greater distance and more
precisely locate the vessel. The improved system is expected to begin operating as early
as June, local commanders said. Officers were trained on the new system recently in
Riviera Beach. Rescue 21 allows officers to reach boaters by VHF radio more than 20
miles offshore, compared with five to ten miles under the old system. The system also
enables the Coast Guard to talk with boaters stuck on rivers and waterways. Boaters’
voices will be heard more clearly and for the first time will be recorded to enable
officers to decipher barely audible calls for help. Coast Guard stations in Jacksonville,
St. Petersburg, and other cities are already using the new system. After Hurricane
Katrina, officers trucked the system into the lower Mississippi region so they could talk
with boaters and each other during rescues. Once fully operating, the system is expected
to cover more than 95,000 miles of coastline, rivers, and other waterways in the U.S.,
Guam, and Puerto Rico.
Source: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sflflpcoast0409pnapr09,0,4236068.story
11. April 2008, National Defense – (National) Army pushes forward with troubled scout
helicopter. Despite a string of delays and billions of dollars in cost increases, the Army
has regained confidence in its ARH-70A armed reconnaissance helicopter. The Army
has readjusted its testing and development schedule to get the helicopter into the field by
2011, says the deputy director of Army aviation. The Army believes that the aircraft is
the best option to replace the aging OH-58D Kiowa Warrior scout helicopter. The
Kiowa was originally slated for retirement in 2016, but because of delays with ARH, it
will be flying beyond the next decade, says the Army’s deputy project manager for
armed scout helicopters. He says the service will have to contend with Kiowa’s weight
and obsolescence issues. Right now, the focus is on the helicopter’s processors and
cockpit, which are quickly aging. The Army has also decided to fund a costly “safety
enhancement program” for the Kiowa, says the capability manager for reconnaissance/
attack helicopters at the Army’s Training and Doctrine Command. Meanwhile, the
Army is scrambling to fix technical problems with its new UH-72A Lakota light utility
helicopter. The National Guard and the Army will use Lakota for mostly domestic
missions, which will free up Kiowa for combat operations.
Source: http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2008/April/ArmyPush.htm
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Banking and Finance Sector
12. April 9, Associated Press – (Massachusetts) Investigators probe lending scam using
bogus Sudbury address. Authorities in the U.S. and Canada are investigating a lending
scam that has allegedly been using a bogus business address in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Several people have complained that they were tricked into sending hundreds or even
thousands of dollars to Greenpark Lending as collateral for future loans. Though the
business is fictitious, it has been using a real business address in the same office
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complex where the State Police Crime Lab is located. Money that would-be borrowers
thought was being wired to the firm was actually being diverted elsewhere.
Source:
http://www.bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1086007&srvc=rss
13. April 9, Federal Communications Commission – (National) Scam may lead consumers
to incur high charges on their phone bills. The Federal Communications Commission
(FCC) has become aware of a long distance phone scam that may lead consumers to
inadvertently incur high charges on their phone bills. Victims receive an e-mail,
voicemail, or page telling you to call a phone number with an “809”, “284”, “876”, or
some other three-digit area code to collect a prize, find out about a sick relative, etc.
While the victim assumes he or she is making a domestic long distance call, they are
actually connected to a phone number outside the United States, often in Canada or the
Caribbean, and charged international call rates.
Source: http://www.wrdw.com/onyourside/headlines/17417864.html
14. April 9, New York Post – (National) Nymex traders busted for ‘front running’ trades.
A former board member of the New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX), and six
others were pleaded guilty Tuesday to “front running” fraud – the practice of floor
traders either buying for their own account or waiting to see how the market will react
before executing a customer order. He also admitted to tampering with evidence and
agreed to serve five months in jail. His actions cost commodity investors millions of
dollars. The man will pay $850,000 in penalties and fines. Another Nymex floor broker
who pleaded guilty to fraud charges, will be sentenced to probation and pay a $75,000
fine.
Source:
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04092008/business/passing_the_gas_105674.htm?CMP=
EMC-email_edition&DATE=04092008
15. April 9, Chicago Sun-Times – (Illinois) Madigan sues firm for alleged mortgage
scam. The attorney general of Illinois has sued a Chicago-based company for allegedly
bilking five homeowners out of their houses in a “mortgage rescue” scam. Victory
Consulting and Investments Inc. is accused of violating the Illinois Consumer Fraud and
Deceptive Business Practices Act. Victory allegedly billed itself as a “faith-based
organization” and its members called themselves “Reverend,” “Bishop,” or “Pastor” to
gain consumers’ trust, according to the lawsuit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.
Victory’s general manager is also named as a defendant. The homeowners were charged
$600 for the mortgage rescue services and another $400 for attorneys’ fees, the lawsuit
said. Some homeowners were told to send their mortgage payments to Victory; others
unwittingly transferred the title of their home to someone else, the lawsuit alleges. The
Attorney general is seeking restitution for the victims, a $50,000 civil penalty, a $50,000
fine for each violation, and a $10,000 fine for each homeowner 65 or older who was
scammed.
Source: http://www.suntimes.com/business/currency/884994,CST-FINwallet09WEB1.article
[Return to top]
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Transportation Sector
16. April 9, New York Times – (National) American canceling more flights for inspection.
American Airlines said late Tuesday that it expected to cancel as many as 500 flights to
re-inspect its fleet of 300 MD-80 jetliners to make sure a wiring bundle in the wheel
wells was stowed properly. More cancellations are expected Wednesday, though
American did not know how many because its work on the planes was continuing into
the night. The same wiring bundles caused American to cancel hundreds of flights two
weeks ago after inspectors from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) raised
questions about how the bundles were secured inside wheel wells. American thought it
had put the problem behind it then. But Monday FAA inspectors returned and “found
MD-80s in noncompliance,” a spokeswoman for the agency said. The latest inspections
were part of the second phase of an industry-wide examination of compliance with
safety directives. The examination has found compliance problems and caused flight
cancellations at other airlines, including Southwest Airlines and United Airlines.
Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/09/business/09air.html?ex=1365480000&en=ac7dfa3
b9253947f&ei=5088&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
17. April 9, Boston Globe – (Massachusetts) Airport to be early user of anticollision
runway lights. Logan International Airport in Boston is scheduled to be one of the first
airports in the country to deploy new runway lights to warn pilots when they are at risk
of colliding with another plane on the ground, officials plan to reveal today. The
technology is designed to significantly reduce the number and severity of runway
accidents. The “runway status lights,” a series of lights embedded in the pavement, are
designed to flash red to warn pilots when it is unsafe to cross a runway or taxiway. The
lights, which work in conjunction with ground radar systems, are already being tested at
the San Diego and Dallas/ Fort Worth international airports. A spokesman for the
Massachusetts Port Authority said this would be the latest in a series of steps they have
taken to improve safety, including adding better signs and realigning runways. Even
with the new system, pilots must still receive clearance from air traffic controllers. The
Federal Aviation Administration hopes to install runway status lights at more than a
dozen airports by 2011.
Source:
http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/04/09/airport_to_be_early_user_of_antic
ollision_runway_lights/
18. April 8, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration – (National) U.S.
increases safety of trains carrying hazardous material following accidents. The
safety of rail tank cars that carry the most dangerous hazardous materials will be
dramatically improved under a new proposal, the U.S. Secretary of Transportation has
announced. “This proposal is designed to significantly reduce the hazard of hauling
hazardous materials by rail,” she said, explaining the performance-based standard will
increase by 500 percent on average the amount of energy the tank car must absorb
during a train accident before a catastrophic failure may occur. The proposal requires
tank cars carrying Poison Inhalation Hazard (PIH) commodities such as chlorine and
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anhydrous ammonia to be equipped with puncture-resistance protection strong enough
to prevent penetration at speeds of 25 mph for side impacts and 30 mph for head-on
collisions – more than double the speed for existing tank cars. The proposal allows
flexibility in reaching that goal, but it is expected the outer tank car shell and both head
ends will be strengthened, the inner tank holding the hazmat cargo will be better
shielded, and the space between the two will be designed with more energy absorption
and protection capabilities. The proposed rule also sets a maximum speed limit of 50
mph for any train transporting a PIH tank car. In addition, a temporary speed restriction
of 30 mph is being proposed for all PIH tank cars not meeting the puncture-resistance
standard and which are traveling in ‘dark,’ or non-signaled territory, until the rule is
fully implemented or other safety measures are installed. Finally, the proposed rule
requires that some of the oldest PIH tank cars in use today be phased out on an
accelerated schedule so they no longer carry PIH materials. Specifically, this addresses
the concern that PIH tank cars manufactured prior to 1989 with non-normalized steel
may not adequately resist the development of fractures that can lead to a catastrophic
failure.
Source: http://www.environmentalexpert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=29167&codi=29915&idproducttype=8&le
vel=0
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Postal and Shipping Sector
Nothing to Report
[Return to top]
Agriculture and Food Sector
19. April 9, Farm Futures – (International) Several ways USDA is fighting bovine TB.
Last week the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced nearly $17 million in
emergency funding to eradicate cases of bovine tuberculosis in several states. The
USDA’s undersecretary says that the agency is working on several fronts against the
disease. Of the 166 cases of bovine TB reported in the United States in the past five
years, 120 of them were traced to Mexico, he said. “Last year we proposed to Mexico a
five year plan on how to move forward with a Mexican TB eradication program that
would be on par with what we are doing here in the United States,” he said, adding that
there are also new rules and regulations in the works for TB in the U.S.
Source:
http://www.farmfutures.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=CD26BEDECA4A4946A1283CC77
86AEB5A&nm=News&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B96F2A415ABC72CB
5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=205404941B364973AE428421D6929825
20. April 8, Farmer – (Minnesota) USDA downgrades Minnesota bovine TB status. The
U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Tuesday that it will officially downgrade
Minnesota’s bovine tuberculosis status from Modified Accredited Advanced to
-8-
Modified Accredited, effective Wednesday, April 9. The drop in status, required by the
USDA Code of Federal Regulations, follows the discovery of four additional infected
herds within the last 12 months and will require Minnesota cattle producers to conduct
additional testing when shipping animals out of state. “We anticipated this federal
downgrade once a fourth infected herd was found,” the State Bovine TB Coordinator
said. “While some states had imposed their own restrictions, this downgrade means new
testing requirements for all non-slaughter cattle going from Minnesota to another state,
as called for in USDA regulations.” In response to these new statewide testing
requirements, the state is applying to USDA for split-state status. This will allow the
majority of the state to upgrade its status, while a small region in the northwest that
contains the infection will remain Modified Accredited (MA). Split-state status would
help target resources where they are most needed, while also saving producers outside
the affected area from the additional testing requirements that accompany MA status.
Source: http://the-farmer.com/index.aspx?ascxid=fpStory&fpsid=33134&fpstid=2
21. April 8, Radio-Iowa – (Iowa; National) Senator asks USDA to step up investigation of
bee deaths. An Iowa Senator is asking the U.S. Department of Agriculture to step up its
effort to learn about the cause of – and find a remedy for – Colony Collapse Disorder,
which has caused the widespread death of bees in the U.S. “I don’t think we, as farmers
or city people, tend to realize the importance of bees in our economy, particularly in
agriculture and in turn, in the supply of food,” the senator said, adding that the situation
is near a critical level.
Source: http://www.radioiowa.com/gestalt/go.cfm?objectid=2EED615F-E553-030E0F735D5034BD48B5
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Water Sector
22. April 9, Associated Press – (Indiana) Contractor digs into contamination, threatening
residents’ wells. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is testing water and
soil samples near a northern Indiana pit. A contractor digging a pit for a sewer pumping
station dug through a layer of clay soil last week and exposed a mixture of water and a
petroleum-based chemical. Preliminary results showed that the mixture tested positive
for PCBs. The EPA has conducted extensive soil and water testing from the site near
Lake Bruce in Rochester, about 40 miles south of South Bend. The agency expects to
receive test results later this week.
Source: http://www.wndu.com/localnews/headlines/17418509.html
23. April 8, Associated Press – (National) U.S. water pipelines are breaking. The
infrastructure that delivers water to the nation’s cities is badly aging and in need of
repairs. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says utilities will need to
invest more than $277 billion over the next two decades on repairs and improvements to
drinking water systems. Water industry engineers put the figure drastically higher, at
about $480 billion. Water utilities, largely managed by city governments, have never
faced improvements of this magnitude before. Customers will have to bear the majority
of the cost through rate increases, according to the American Water Works Association,
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an industry group. Engineers say this is a crucial era for the nation’s water systems,
especially in older cities like New York, where some pipes and tunnels were built in the
1800s and are now nearing the end of their life expectancies. Catastrophic problems can
arise when infrastructure fails. An 84-year-old steam pipe erupted beneath a New York
street last year, creating a mammoth geyser that rained mud and debris down on the city.
Utilities currently spend about $10.4 billion annually on large-scale repairs and
improvements on drinking water infrastructure, a figure that has been relatively flat
during the past two decades, the EPA said. Cities have a hard time convincing residents
that they should spend money on something they never see, buried hundreds of feet
underground. And often, public officials pawn the responsibility off on the next person
elected. Repairs tend to be long and costly, especially since many systems were built
nearly a century ago, deep underground, where buildings and major roads now stand.
Even monitoring pipes for vulnerabilities can be expensive and tricky, since it is not
possible to shut down a city’s water supply to test for leaks. If New York were to do that
to the Delaware Aqueduct, for example, the 13 1/2-foot-diameter tunnel might crumble
under the crushing weight of the land without the water to support the duct.
Source: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gaygiAcZTx5UbK7Z6H48JW7TJAAD8VU0LJ82
24. April 8, Associated Press – (Iowa) EPA cites Cedar Rapids for violating Clean Water
Act. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has cited Cedar Rapids, Iowa,
for failing to comply with federal water rules. The EPA noted violations in the city’s
waste water and storm water systems. The agency says that because of defects in the
aging sanitary sewer lines, wastewater now can enter storm sewers and ultimately is
dumped into waterways. The EPA ordered the city to hire an engineering consultant to
create a sanitary sewer collection improvement plan. That plan must include a schedule
completed by August first for design and construction of improvements. The city would
have another year to make the improvements.
Source: http://www.wqad.com/Global/story.asp?S=8137255&nav=1sW7
25. April 8, Pittsburg Post-Gazette – (Pennsylvania) Treatment sabotaged at abandoned
mine. A $3.4 million abandoned mine water treatment project along Indian Creek in
Saltlick, Pennsylvania, was temporarily incapacitated by vandals who opened a manhole
cover and dumped two bushels of a gelatinous substance into a pipe leading from the
mine. The sabotage was discovered yesterday morning before it could create a
dangerous situation because of pressure building up in the abandoned deep mine, said
the Mountain Watershed Association, the nonprofit organization that finished installing
the Indian Creek Restoration Project last fall. The substance pulled from the manhole by
Fayette County hazardous materials workers and placed into a 55-gallon drum by the
state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) was identified as ammonium
chloride, which is sold in five-gallon buckets by hardware stores and used to clean the
tip of a soldering iron, in solder as flux, and in snow making to slow melting. A DEP
spokeswoman said state police are investigating, but neither the treatment project nor the
creek sustained any long-term damage. The executive director of the Mountain
Watershed Association said the ammonium chloride partially blocked the pipeline
running from the abandoned mine pool to the treatment ponds near the creek. She said
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the pool has risen about five feet inside the mine and could have created dangerous
pressure on the hillside in the area if it had risen another five feet.
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08099/871348-55.stm
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Public Health and Healthcare Sector
26. April 9, MedicalNewsToday – (National) FDA reports more deaths linked to
contaminated heparin. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration released an update on
April 8, showing a dramatic rise in the number of deaths that may be due to patients
having allergic reactions to contaminated heparin. The agency puts the new figure at 62
deaths in the last 15 months, which is considerably more than the 19 suggested last
month. The agency released the update through its Center for Drug Evaluation and
Research (CDER) website. The update shows a month by month total of deaths
occurring after heparin administration reported to the FDA over the last 15 months
(from January 2007 to March 2008). The figures are arranged by the date of the report
and not the date of death. The update shows two sets of figures: one for deaths linked to
heparin administration, regardless of the cause, and the other set of figures shows the
number of deaths within this figure where patients showed one or more symptoms of
allergic reaction or low blood pressure after being given the drug. The first set of figures
(regardless of cause) shows a total of 103 deaths in the last 15 months and the second set
(the subset with one or more symptoms) shows 62. The FDA stressed that a reported
death linked to low blood pressure or allergic reactions after being given heparin does
not necessarily mean the drug caused the fatality.
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/103281.php
27. April 9, News Tribune – (Washington) Sea-Tac exposed to measles virus. A woman
who flew into Seattle-Tacoma Airport on March 26 had an active case of measles and
might have spread the disease to fellow passengers or others, the King County Health
Department announced Tuesday. The woman flew in from the Netherlands on
Northwest Flight 33, arriving at 3:25 p.m. She departed for Portland on Horizon Airlines
Flight 2243 at 5 p.m. Health officials said they are not aware of anyone who caught the
measles from the woman but warned that people on her flights, in the S and C
concourses, or at Gate 2J in the C Concourse between 3:25 and 7 p.m. that day might
have been exposed. The Health Department also alerted a handful of passengers who sat
next to or near the woman, and is looking for others, a spokesman said.
Source: http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/local/story/330408.html
28. April 9, Scientific American – (National) Bacteria that snack on antibiotics. A new
study has turned up hundreds of bacterial strains that are not only antibiotic-resistant—
they literally eat the life-saving drugs for breakfast. Harvard University researchers
found the new bugs while scouring soil samples for bacteria capable of converting
agricultural waste into biofuels. They discovered that many of their specimens could
withstand antibiotic concentrations up to 50 times stronger than the threshold for
antibiotic resistance. Unlike most known bacteria, the new organisms actually relied on
natural or synthetic antibiotics for their sole source of energy. Drug-resistant bacteria
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pose a growing problem, particularly in hospitals, where they may easily spread between
patients, shrugging off even the most powerful antibiotics. These so-called superbugs do
not feed on antibiotics. But some of the new organisms are relatives of known human
pathogens, such as the deadly E. coli strain O157:H7, raising the possibility that the soildwellers might transfer even nastier abilities to our microbial foes.
Source: http://www.sciam.com/gallery_directory.cfm?photo_id=303D360A-C95EF224-F70927B95F900ECF
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Government Facilities Sector
29. April 8, KOB 4 Albuquerque – (New Mexico) Courthouse evacuated after reports of
suspicious package. A street in downtown Albuquerque has reopened after federal
investigators cleared the area due to reports of a suspicious package found inside the
federal courthouse. Part of a street north of the federal courthouse was shut down around
4:00 p.m. Tuesday. The bomb squad was called in and everyone inside the building was
told to go home early for the day. There is no word on what was in the package.
Source: http://kob.com/article/stories/S405789.shtml?cat=520
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Emergency Services Sector
30. April 9, Hartford Business – (National) Nationwide cell phone alert system in the
works. Federal regulators as early as today are expected to take a major step toward
development of a nationwide emergency alert system that would send text messages to
cell phones and other mobile devices wherever a crisis occurs. Lack of a simple way to
deliver vital warnings to residents has hindered emergency response in disasters such as
Hurricane Katrina, recent college-campus shootings, and a spate of devastating
tornadoes in the Southeast in February. The Federal Communications Commission is
slated to establish technical standards and other requirements that for the first time
would make such communication possible, two FCC officials say. The officials
requested anonymity because commissioners have not yet voted on the plan. Although
wireless carriers would not be required to upgrade their networks to accommodate the
alerts, those that agree to participate would have to implement the FCC’s standards. All
four national cell phone providers – AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, and T-Mobile – said
they almost certainly will take part if the FCC adopts an advisory committee’s
recommendations on how the system would work. The agency is expected to approve
those proposals, which, among other things, would initially limit warnings to the
English language and 90 characters in length, officials say. The network is expected to
be up and running by 2010. The FCC action is rooted in a 2006 federal law that ordered
sweeping upgrades in the way emergency alerts are sent to mobile devices, land-line
phones, and broadcast TV stations. The system could be used for a variety of incidents,
such as severe weather, a terrorist threat, or child abduction. A message could be sent to
a county, region, state, or the entire nation.
Source: http://www.hartfordbusiness.com/news5127.html
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[Return to top]
Information Technology
31. April 9, Dark Reading – (International) Symantec chairman calls for informationcentric approach to security. The chairman and CEO of Symnatec says anti-virus tools
are not enough anymore. It is time for the industry to move away from protection of
infrastructure and toward an “information-centric” security model, he said yesterday in
his keynote address at the RSA Security Conference. “What we need is a fundamental
shift,” he said. “We need a risk-based approach that addresses data at rest and in motion.
I need to know what sensitive information do I have, how is it stored, and how is it used.
I need to set rules for archiving and encryption, and those policies must be aligned
across the business.” The comments echoed themes that reverberate through this year’s
RSA conference: that enterprise security teams need to focus more on data than on
infrastructure, and more on business than on security. The Symnatec chief called for
improvements in intelligent archiving and content-aware security systems that can
distinguish sensitive data and apply distinct policies for its storage and protection. He
also called for the evolution of digital rights management technology to help protect
companies’ intellectual property at both the legal and logical levels. His remarks were
offered in the context of data gleaned from Symantec’s most recent threat report, which
suggests that information is becoming a commodity among criminals and that
companies should do more to protect it. Symantec estimates that as many as 50 million
individuals’ personally identifiable information has been exposed in the past year, and
credit card numbers can now be purchased on the black market for as little as 40 cents.
Source: http://www.darkreading.com/document.asp?doc_id=150620&print=true
32. April 9, ComputerWeekly.com – (International) 60% of UK websites plagued by
encryption and cross-site scripting vulnerabilities. Web application security tests
show that 60 percent of UK sites are plagued with internet encryption and cross-site
scripting vulnerabilities. The finding forms part of NTA’s Annual Web Application
Security Report 2008, which analyzed data gathered from web application security tests
performed for a wide range of industry sectors, including finance, government,
education, IT, law, and retail. In addition, the security tests found that more than threequarters of websites tested contained one or more medium-level risk that may enable
external users to gain unauthorized access or disrupt service availability. The technical
director at NTA Monitor said, “Weak SSL encryption vulnerabilities may cause sessions
to be compromised. All SSL should have strong encryption of at least 128 bits, which is
almost impossible to crack.” He said that a number of applications are vulnerable to
cross-site scripting attacks, which enable a hostile web site to cause potentially
malicious code such as JavaScript commands to misdirect or compromise an end user’s
browser. This can enable an attacker to collect sensitive information such as passwords
and card payment details.
Source:
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/Article.aspx?liArticleID=230213&PrinterFrie
ndly=true
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33. April 9, silicon.com – (International) Security threats revealed: Beware the
metasploit. ‘Pass the hash’ and metasploit are two of a new breed of emerging security
threats facing corporate IT departments. The key security threats facing businesses range
from mutations of established methods – such as malware or phishing – to less wellknown ones, such as metasploit releases and ‘pass the hash’ attacks. The most dangerous
new security threats were revealed by experts at the RSA security conference in San
Francisco this week. Among the less familiar new threats are metasploit releases, which
target networks by simultaneously attacking a number of vulnerabilities (up to 200) on
different platforms including Windows, Linux, and the iPhone. ‘Pass the hash’ attacks,
which use stolen password hashes to access other systems in a targeted network –
avoiding more time-consuming password cracking – were also singled out. Although
this approach has been around for some time, it is only now that it is becoming
prevalent. Website attacks, which plant browser exploits to compromise users, are also
becoming more a problem, as they are able to target well known, high-traffic sites. A
major threat is browser scripting attacks, which use web browsers to get through
corporate firewalls, allowing access to confidential information. While not new, the
development of botnets remains a big security concern because the “fast flux” approach
used by attackers to protect their robotic networks is making the life of botnet
investigators difficult. The security experts also warned about the threat from malware
being spread through embedded devices, such as memory sticks, which is now one of
the main ways harmful code is brought into businesses.
Source: http://software.silicon.com/security/0,39024888,39184609,00.htm
Internet Alert Dashboard
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US−CERT at soc@us−cert.gov or visit their
Website: http://www.us−cert.gov.
Information on IT information sharing and analysis can be found at the IT ISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center)
Website: https://www.it−isac.org/.
[Return to top]
Communications Sector
34. April 8, CommsDay – (International) Ships impounded in Dubai after undersea cable
cuts. Two ships have been impounded by Dubai authorities in relation to a series of
submarine cable cuts which wreaked havoc on Indian and Middle Eastern service earlier
this year. It was confirmed yesterday that the Dubai Port Trust has impounded the MV
Hounslow and MT Ann on suspicion of causing breakages to the Reliance Globalcom
Flag Europe-Asia cable, which was damaged along with the SEA-ME-WE 4 and Falcon
cables in early February. An official from Reliance Globalcom said the company had
given the details of the two ships to Dubai authorities after studying satellite imagery of
ship movements around the breakage area, according to Indian newspaper The Hindu.
“The matter has been brought to the notice of appropriate authorities which are taking
necessary action,” the official said. The owners and captains of the two ships are set to
be questioned in Dubai over the incident. In early February, four Middle Eastern
undersea cables suffered service disruptions over a five-day period, sparking a rash of
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unfounded conspiracy theories blaming groups from Islamic extremists to the US Secret
Service. SEA-ME-WE 4 and Flag were severed off Alexandria in Egypt, while the
Falcon system was hit in the Persian Gulf between the United Arab Emirates and Oman.
Another unnamed cable suffered outages between Qatar and the UAE. ISPs in India
reported bandwidth cuts between 50 and 60 per cent after the cable cuts. At the time of
the cuts, a Flag spokesperson said that ships in Alexandria had been asked to anchor in a
different place to normal, around 8.4km off the beach. The company said an anchor had
cut the Flag cable but reported multiple cuts causing problems to a number of other
companies.
Source: http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=42942&id=e9381817-0593-417a8639-c4c53e2a2a10&view=news
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
Nothing to Report
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National Monuments & Icons Sector
35. April 9, Los Angeles Times – (National) Private land in national parks at risk for
development. Millions of privately owned acres in National Park Service boundaries
could be developed into luxury homes or commercial enterprises because the federal
government has not allocated funds to buy out these lands, according to two reports
issued this week. About 4.3 million acres of privately owned land lie within the 391
National Park Service properties nationwide, according to a National Parks
Conservation Association report released Tuesday. Of these acres, 1.8 million are
considered priorities to be acquired for recreation and habitat connectivity at a cost of
$1.9 billion, according to the parks service. The National Parks Conservation
Association report recommends that Congress appropriate at least $100 million in 2009
for the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the primary source of the National Park
Service’s acquisition money. Congress can allocate as much as $900 million a year to
the fund, which is paid for by royalties from oil and gas leases. But as the lease revenue
has increased, more money has been diverted to support other federal budget priorities,
according to the association.
Source: http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/california/la-meparks9apr09,1,2746002.story
36. April 8, Daily Sentinel – (Colorado) Gas exploration project would have ‘no
significant impact,’ report says. In Colorado, a 32-well gas exploration project, about
five miles northeast of Vega Reservoir and known as the Hightower Master Plan
Development, won approval from the U.S. Forest Service on Tuesday. In a 29-page
report, the Forest Service found that Plains Exploration and Production Company’s plan
would have “no significant impact” on the forest. With the Forest Service’s decision, the
project now rests for a 45-day comment and appeal period, said a spokeswoman for the
- 15 -
Grand Mesa, Uncompahgre, and Gunnison national forests. The report says the project
is unlikely to have a significant effect on air quality, though it says, “This decision is
likely to adversely affect the four Colorado River endangered fish species through water
depletions.”
Source:
http://www.gjsentinel.com/news/content/news/stories/2008/04/08/040908_8B_Hightow
er_drilling.html
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
37. April 9, Advocate – (Louisiana) Corps, state watching river levels, levee stress. As
water levels continue to rise, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has stepped up its
monitoring of levees along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers. “We have moved up
to our second phase of flood-fight activation which includes daily inspections,” said a
spokesman with the Corps’ New Orleans District. Areas of concern include any levee
scouring on the river side or sand boils on the land side, which would indicate water
pressure forcing water under the levee. With the experience of floods in 1973, 1983,
1984, and 1997, Corps staff knows where these sand boils are traditionally found and
where they might need to focus additional attention, said the natural disaster manager
for the Corps, New Orleans District. So far, the Corps has not found any areas of
concern along the levees, he said.
Source: http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/17412224.html
38. April 9, Bakersfield Californian – (California) If the Isabella Dam collapsed: Maps
plot wet, worst-case scenario. Kern County’s Fire Chief released final drafts of Isabella
Lake flooding maps, developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to the Kern
County Board of Supervisors Tuesday morning and posted the maps on the county’s
Web site. Within six hours, the Corps believes, water from Isabella Lake would be in
central Bakersfield, California. Within ten hours, water would be one foot deep across
most of Bakersfield – deep enough to float a car and prevent people from driving to
safety. At full flood, most of Bakersfield would be under five to ten feet of water. The
waters in downtown Bakersfield could be more than 20 feet deep. The fire chief said
individuals – as well as businesses, government agencies, and hospitals – need to make
sure they know what could happen and have a plan for dealing with the flood. A formal,
county-crafted evacuation plan will now be developed based on the information in the
Corps’ flood maps. Officials with the Corps of Engineers feel certain that a dam collapse
is extremely unlikely. And in all likelihood, if a collapse does happen, the lake would
not be as full as the maps assume and the flooding would not be as bad as the maps
show. Substantial new studies of the dam’s stability, flooding in the Kern River canyon,
and other issues with the dam continue to be worked on.
Source: http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/410494.html
39. April 8, KXMC 13 Minot – (North Dakota) Watching dam safety at Snake Creek. In
North Dakota, the dropping level of Lake Sakakawea has raised the issue of the safety of
the Snake Creek Dam that separates Lakes Sakakawea and Audubon. The difference in
- 16 -
levels between Lake Audubon and Lake Sakakawea might be doing damage that nobody
can see. The full Audubon is putting more pressure on the dam than the empty
Sakakawea, and that might be an issue. To monitor this, crews buried a line with a
device that allows engineers to peer deep within the dam. As it stands today, the dam is
safe, and levels are acceptable, but the future level of the big lake is unknown. Doing
this work now means all the bases are covered.
Source: http://www.kxmb.com/getArticle.asp?ArticleId=226754
[Return to top]
DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Reports − The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a
daily [Monday through Friday] summary of open−source published information concerning significant critical
infrastructure issues. The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is archived for ten days on the Department of
Homeland Security Website: http://www.dhs.gov/iaipdailyreport
DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
Content and Suggestions:
Removal from Distribution List:
Send mail to NICCReports@dhs.gov or contact the DHS Daily
Report Team at (202) 312-5389
Send mail to NICCReports@dhs.gov or contact the DHS Daily
Report Team at (202) 312-5389 for more information.
Contact DHS
To report physical infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact the National Infrastructure
Coordinating Center at nicc@dhs.gov or (202) 282−9201.
To report cyber infrastructure incidents or to request information, please contact US−CERT at soc@us−cert.gov or
visit their Web page at www.us−cert.gov.
Department of Homeland Security Disclaimer
The DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report is a non−commercial publication intended to educate and inform
personnel engaged in infrastructure protection. Further reproduction or redistribution is subject to original copyright
restrictions. DHS provides no warranty of ownership of the copyright, or accuracy with respect to the original source material.
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