Department of Homeland
Security
Daily Open Source
Infrastructure Report
for 19 February 2009
Current Nationwide
Threat Level is
For info click here
http://www.dhs.gov/

According to the Associated Press, officials estimate nearly 300,000 gallons of sewage will
have leaked into San Francisco Bay by the time a leaking pipe at a Sausalito, California
treatment plant is repaired. The leak began around 1 p.m. on Tuesday. (See item 21)

The Associated Press reports that a second soldier stationed at the Army’s Fort Leonard
Wood base in Missouri has died of meningitis, officials said on Tuesday. Another soldier
from the base died on February 9. Both soldiers had a non-contagious form of meningitis.
(See item 28)
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. February 18, Reuters – (Texas) Valero Port Arthur, Tx., FCC shut, restart next
week. Valero Energy Corp. shut a gasoline-making fluid catalytic cracking unit at its
295,000 barrel per day Port Arthur, Texas refinery and expects to restart the unit early
next week, a company spokesman said on February 18. “A leak was discovered in a
catalyst line at the Port Arthur FCC during restart after last week’s brief power outage.
The FCC has been taken down for a repair to the line,” a Valero spokesman said in an
email.
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssEnergyNews/idUSN1842559720090218
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2. February 17, Reuters – (Texas) All Entergy Texas Sabine gas units up and running.
Entergy Corp’s Texas utility has restarted the last two units damaged by Hurricane Ike
at its 1,960-megawatt Sabine natural gas-fired plant, a company spokeswoman said on
February 17. Three gas units returned to service in early December, three months after
Hurricane Ike flooded the plant, while repairs continued on two other units. All five
units were operating the weekend of February 14, the spokeswoman said. Entergy shut
the Sabine plant as a precaution ahead of Ike which made landfall in Southeast Texas
near Houston on September 13. A storm surge ahead of the hurricane flooded the Sabine
plant which is located near Bridge City, Texas, about 10 miles northeast of Port Arthur.
Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN17363969200
90217
3. February 15, KOAT 7 Albuquerque – (Arizona) Edgewood woman faces terrorism
charges. A New Mexico woman is facing terrorism charges in Arizona after allegedly
threatening to kill the U.S. President and blow up a business. Williams, Arizona police
said she drove Thursday into a fuel truck then tried to light it on fire. Officers said the
driver wrestled her to the ground before she could get to it. She faces terrorism, and
attempted first-degree murder charges. Federal charges may also be filed.
Source: http://www.koat.com/news/18717900/detail.html
See also: http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_11705776
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Chemical Industry Sector
4. February 18, Asheville Citizen-Times – (Tennessee) Chemical spill stalls interstate’s
rush hour. A chemical sloshed from a tanker truck’s loose hatch on February 17,
bringing Interstate 240 traffic to a standstill for more than two hours. Authorities said
there was no immediate health risk from the liquid chemical but warned about breathing
the substance once it dried. The truck from Johnson City Chemical Company Inc. was
traveling eastbound from Tennessee when it began leaking magnesium hydroxide, a
chemical used in wastewater treatment, firefighters and others said. The milky-white
substance spilled over more than 800 feet of I-240 downtown. Cleanup crews could not
tell how much of the chemical spilled. Firefighters closed both interstate lanes while
they determined what the chemical was. Once they learned it posed no significant health
or environmental hazard, they kept the lanes closed to clean up the mess, the Asheville
Fire and Rescue assistant chief said. “Our biggest concerns were people driving over it
and it becoming airborne again in a dry medium for people to inhale it,” the assistant
chief said. The spill happened during rush hour at 8:15 a.m., and traffic immediately
began backing up for several miles. Street-washing trucks from Asheville Public Works
Department and the Metropolitan Sewage District flushed the substance off the road.
Crews blocked all nearby storm drains and dug a ditch below the guardrail for the off
ramp to divert the runoff onto a grassy area below the interstate. The truck driver was
charged with failing to secure a load, but will likely only have to pay court costs, said an
Asheville Police Department spokeswoman.
Source: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902180325
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5. February 17, KOVR 13 Sacramento – (California) Fertilizer spill closes highway 99 in
Sacramento. Crews in full hazardous materials gear are working to clean up a liquid
fertilizer spill that has shutdown the southbound lanes on Highway 99 in Sacramento for
more than two hours. The southbound lanes of Highway 99 are shut down just north of
47th Avenue. The truck carrying 300 pounds of liquid fertilizer crashed just after 9:00
a.m. Fire fighters say this is a level 2 Hazmat and that an unknown amount of fertilizer
spilled.
Source: http://cbs13.com/breakingnews/fertilizer.highway.99.2.936957.html
[Return to top]
Nuclear Reactors, Materials, and Waste Sector
6. February 18, Reuters – (Michigan) Entergy shuts Mich. Palisades reactor for short
work. Entergy Corp shut the 778-megawatt Palisades nuclear power station in Michigan
from full power on February 17 for short work on a leaky control rod drive seal, a
spokesman for the plant said on February 18. He could not say exactly when the unit
would return.
Source:
http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssIndustryMaterialsUtilitiesNews/idUSN18429204200
90218
7. February 17, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – (National) NRC issues final rule
on new reactor aircraft impact assessments. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC) has issued a final rule that requires applicants for new power
reactors to assess the ability of their reactor designs to avoid or mitigate the effects of a
large commercial aircraft impact. Nuclear power plants are designed under very
stringent requirements to assure they can safely shut down following “design-basis
events” such as large fires, floods, earthquakes and hurricanes, as well as improbable
equipment malfunctions including pipe breaks. These requirements include having two
redundant systems to accomplish each safety function. The rule treats large commercial
aircraft crashes as beyond-design-basis events. Under the rule, any design feature or
functional capability adopted solely to comply with the rule will meet high quality
standards but is exempt from NRC design-basis regulations, such as regulations for
redundancy. These design features and functional capabilities must address core cooling
capability, containment integrity, spent fuel cooling capability, and spent fuel pool
integrity following an aircraft impact. The agency does not believe nuclear power plant
operators should be required to prevent the impact of large commercial aircraft; that
responsibility rests with the Federal Government.
Source: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2009/09-030.html
8. February 17, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission – (Illinois) 24-hour report
involving an unplanned contamination event. An unplanned contamination event
occurred on February 16 at Honeywell International, Inc. in Massac County, Illinois.
This is a reportable event based on an unplanned event that results in additional
radiological controls being required for more than 24 hours. The 24 hour period ended at
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10:30 a.m. on February 17. The additional controls imposed were wearing a half-face
respirator in the basement of the feed materials building, which converts uranium ore
concentrates into uranium hexafluoride. Air samples from the basement were analyzed
and the airborne radioactivity average exceeded the MTW action level of 30 percent of a
DAC. Uranium tetrafluoride (green salt) was the material that was airborne in the
basement. An elevator that is used to transport green salt to different levels of the feed
materials building was leaking around an inspection cover which caused the airborne
radioactive material. The licensee attributes the contamination to a failed gasket. The
airborne contamination was discovered during routine air sampling which is performed
daily. There is no plan to perform personnel testing for uptake or ingestion at this time.
Source: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/eventstatus/event/en.html#en44857
[Return to top]
Defense Industrial Base Sector
9. February 17, Aviation Week – (National) STOVL F-35B ready to begin hover pit
tests. The first short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
could begin powered-lift testing on the hover pit at Lockheed Martin’s Fort Worth,
Texas, plant as early as this week. This will begin perhaps the most critical phase of
testing for the F-35 program. About a month of hover-pit testing is planned before the
first F-35B, aircraft BF-1, returns to the air to begin STOVL flight testing, said the F-35
air vehicle development team lead. This will build up to the first full vertical landing,
expected to be performed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland, in June or
July. Hover pit tests will check performance and operation of the propulsion system up
to full vertical thrust. In powered-lift mode the forward shaft-driven lift fan is engaged,
the rear three-bearing nozzle swivels down and roll posts in the wing open. Pit tests also
will allow Lockheed Martin to measure the installed thrust of the Pratt & Whitney F135
engine and Rolls-Royce lift fan.
Source:
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story_channel.jsp?channel=defense&id=news
/F35B021709.xml
10. February 16, Kansas City Business Journal – (National) Alliant Lake City wins $7M
‘green’ ammo contract. Alliant Lake City Small Caliber Ammunition Co. received a
$7.37 million contract from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) that modifies the
basic mechanical and electrical refurbishment to accommodate the “green” bullet
design. According to the Defense Technical Information Center, the DOD’s Green
Bullet Program seeks to reduce the use of lead-antimony in ammunition used at training
ranges and replace it with nontoxic alloys to prevent lead contamination in soil and
surrounding areas. The military started using green bullets at training ranges in October
1999.
Source: http://www.bizjournals.com/kansascity/stories/2009/02/16/daily4.html
[Return to top]
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Banking and Finance Sector
11. February 18, Wall Street Journal – (Texas) SEC accuses Texas financier of ‘massive’
$8 billion fraud. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a suspect
with an $8 billion fraud centered on the sale of certificates of deposit, saying the
businessman deceived investors by promising high and seemingly safe returns. As the
SEC charges were made public on February 17, U.S. marshals and Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) agents raided the suspect’s offices in Houston. The SEC said that
Stanford Investment Bank sought to lull investors into thinking their investments were
safe, providing assurances that the bank invested the money in liquid financial
instruments that were monitored by a team of more than 20 analysts. But those
assurances were false, the SEC said. Instead of ultra-safe investments, a substantial
portion of the portfolio was placed in real estate and private equity, the SEC said. The
investments were not monitored by a team of analysts, but instead by two people, the
suspect and the chief financial officer of the bank. The SEC said the suspect sold about
$8 billion of the certificates of deposit. The agency also accused the suspect of fraud
connected with the sale of a mutual-fund program with reported assets of more than $1.2
billion. The SEC said the suspect and three of his companies claimed to have received
double-digit returns on investments for the past 15 years, but the returns were
“improbable” and unsubstantiated.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123489015427300943.html
12. February 18, Financial Wire – (Nevada) Community Bank of Nevada customers hit
by text message scam. Community Bancorp’s Community Bank of Nevada unit said
that a text message sent to both customers and non-customers was a text phishing scam.
The company said that a text message was sent on February 13 by an unidentifiable
source, disguised as Community Bank of Nevada, in attempt to collect sensitive
financial information. The Community Bank CEO said, “We are aware that over the past
few weeks several financial institutions and their customers have fallen victim to these
types of text phishing scams.” He added that the bank has put into place “many
safeguards to protect our customers’ information.” He said that the company is
investigating the issue and “hope to have it resolved quickly, minimizing any potential
damage that may impact our customers.” The text message told the recipients that their
debit card has been suspended and to call either a 1-866 or 1-800 number immediately.
Community Bank of Nevada said it is currently working with the Federal Trade
Commission to resolve this issue.
Source: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/.site/news/Stock%20News/2181661/
13. February 17, DarkReading – (National) Wyndham Hotels hack exposes guest names,
credit cards. Hotel chain Wyndham Hotels and Resorts (WHR) has revealed that a
computer break-in late last summer at one of its franchise hotels exposed guest names
and credit card data across 41 of its properties. Wyndham alerted customers who were
affected by the breach just before Christmas, but is now going public with details of the
hack. An attacker used a “centralized network connection” at one WHR franchise to
access and download information from several WHR properties, and only WHR hotels
were affected in the breach, according to the hotel chain, which first discovered the
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breach in mid-September. The hotel chain says guest and cardholder names, account
numbers, and payment card information were potentially exposed in the hack. The
number of Wyndham customer accounts affected by the breach was reported as 21,000
when it was first made public in December 2008, according to the Open Security
Foundation’s Data Loss database. The state attorney general of Florida on February 17
warned state residents affected by the breach to monitor their credit reports for unusual
or suspicious activity. Wyndham says affected customers represent a cross-section of its
global base. The breach was discovered after the hotel chain noticed “unusual activity”
in one of its servers, which was used to siphon data to an “offsite URL,” according to
Wyndham. Wyndham says a full investigation, including contacting law enforcement,
took eight weeks, and the hotel chain had to match payment card data with contact
information of its customers.
Source:
http://www.darkreading.com/security/attacks/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=214303415&
subSection=Attacks/breaches
[Return to top]
Transportation Sector
14. February 17, Associated Press – (International) Cruise ship carrying 105 aground in
Antarctica. A cruise ship with 64 passengers and 41 crew members aboard ran aground
near an Argentine base in Antarctica on February 17, but there were no risks to the
people aboard, the Argentine navy and the ship’s operator reported. The Bahamanflagged Ocean Nova ran aground about one mile from the San Martin base, pushed by
“extremely high winds” into craggy rocks, the president of Quark Expeditions told the
Associated Press. The Norwalk, Connecticut, company that operates the 240-foot long
(73-meter) Danish-built ship said in a news release that “an initial assessment of damage
indicated that there was no imminent danger and no threat to lives.” Ocean Nova
officials informed the San Martin base that the ship should be able to break free on its
own as the tide rises. The Chilean and Argentine navy have dispatched the Spanishflagged ship Hesperides and another vessel, the Clipper Adventure, to coordinate
retrieval of the passengers.
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29242111/
15. February 17, Associated Press – (New York) Pilot’s training being reviewed after NY
crash. The pilot at the controls of a turboprop plane that pitched like a kite before
crashing into a house last week had spent only 110 hours flying that model, and
investigators said February 17 they would look into the quality and quantity of his
training. The pilot of Continental Connection Flight 3407 apparently did not follow
federal recommendations not to fly on autopilot as ice was building on his plane, though
investigators so far say he violated no rules. Whether the pilot did all he could to prevent
potentially disastrous ice buildup or shake it from his plane remains to be seen. But
experts pointed out that he had flown thousands of hours in a similar plane, which would
have prepared him for icing on his aircraft. “They’re both turboprops,” said an associate
professor of aviation sciences. “As far as flying in icing conditions there really isn’t
anything you would do differently. The deicing mechanisms are the same.”
-6-
Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29244493/
16. February 17, Roanoke Valley Daily Herald – (North Carolina) Disruptive passenger
halts train. More than 200 Amtrak passengers waited four hours on February 16 as
police dogs cased a train for a bomb. The train was stopped just short of the North
Carolina Highway 46/U.S. Highway 301 intersection in Garysburg after a passenger
announced he was carrying a bomb. A Northampton County Emergency Management
Coordinator said the passenger became unruly and during an altercation claimed a bomb
was on the train. According to another passenger who was sitting several seats away
from the man, the individual in question began acting in an erratic manner. “He started
acting weird. Then he smacked somebody in the seat beside me and a guy just came up
and grabbed him and held him down. Once he had him down, the guy got quiet. I didn’t
hear him say anything about a bomb. Once the police came he didn’t struggle.”
Passengers reported they were held on the train for approximately two hours before they
were allowed to exit. The man was taken into custody and law enforcement reportedly
found what is suspected to be PCP in the man’s carry-on bag.
Source:
http://www.rrdailyherald.com/articles/2009/02/18/news/doc499b28d7c9d22658714270.t
xt
17. February 17, KTUU 2 Anchorage – (Alaska) Pipe bombs found during early morning
traffic stop. Four pipe bombs were discovered inside a vehicle stopped for an
equipment violation early in the morning on February 17, according to the Anchorage
Police Department. A nearby road was closed down for a short time, and two suspects
were held for questioning by the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives. A broken mirror led to the traffic stop at about 3 a.m. at the corner of
Northern Lights Boulevard and Boniface Parkway. That is when the officer saw what
looked like four bombs inside the vehicle. The bombs — described by the Anchorage
Police Department as “very powerful” — were removed from the car and destroyed.
Anchorage police were unable to provide information on why the bombs were in the car
or where the driver was headed. The FBI says the explosives were not related to terrorist
activity.
Source: http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=9859622
[Return to top]
Postal and Shipping Sector
18. February 17, WMBD 31 Peoria – (Illinois) Hazmat called to federal building. On the
afternoon of February 17 at the Peoria Federal Courthouse, an employee discovered a
letter with a suspicious odor. Authorities say a Peoria Fire Department Hazmat Team
was called to the scene after an employee opened the letter in the mail room and felt
dizzy. A spokesman for the U.S. Marshall’s office says there was no threat and the letter
was sealed and handed over to the Federal Protection Services office. A spokesman
there says while there is no indication of any hazardous material in the letter, the matter
will be investigated. A fire department spokesman says the letter will be turned over to
the Morton Crime Lab as a precaution, but the Hazmat team found nothing suspicious.
-7-
Source: http://centralillinoisproud.com/content/fulltext/?cid=46442
[Return to top]
Agriculture and Food Sector
19. February 18, Oregonian – (National) Deadly bacteria MRSA is spreading. Livestock
herds could become a vast breeding ground for MRSA, or methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus, which is a formerly rare bacteria found mostly in hospitals but
now spreading beyond health care settings. Researchers are finding that MRSA bacteria
are becoming widespread among pigs, dairy cattle, and possibly chickens. The MRSA
strain found in livestock has been implicated in only a few cases of illness in people. But
health officials are concerned that livestock herds could act as a reservoir from which
the bacteria increasingly could spread to vulnerable people. “We know it’s a potential
reservoir right now; the question is, what is the best way to manage the risk,” said the
public health program director for Food Animal Concerns Trusts, a Chicago-based
nonprofit involved in promoting food safety, animal welfare, and family farming. He
said the government should be doing more to confront the problem. He said health
authorities should alert hospitals about the risk posed by patients who may be carrying
the bacteria from farms and meatpacking plants. And he said regulators should curb the
large-scale use of antibiotics in farm animals. Livestock growers routinely feed a variety
of antibiotics to hogs, cattle, and poultry to boost growth. Studies have found that the
practice can promote the rise of drug-resistant bacterial strains. The U.S. Food and Drug
Administration proposed a rule that would have limited the use of one class of
antibiotics. But the agency withdrew the proposal in December 2008. The advocacy
groups want the government to create a roster of antibiotics that are essential for fighting
human infections, then ban the use of these agents in nonsick animals and restrict their
use in sick animals.
Source:
http://www.oregonlive.com/business/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/123491491150
550.xml&coll=7
20. February 18, Patriot News – (Pennsylvania) Bacteria found in farm’s raw milk. A
Lykens area dairy farm’s raw milk tested positive for potentially dangerous bacteria
during a routine inspection, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture officials said on
February 17. Consumers who bought raw milk from the Swiss Villa Dairy Farm on or
after February 9 should discard it immediately due to the risk of Listeria monocytogenes
contamination, the state agriculture secretary said. The owner of the farm has a state
Agriculture Department license to sell raw milk and has been cooperating with
inspectors to identify the source of the contamination, said an agency spokesman. The
owner is not facing a fine, he said. State law requires farmers who sell raw milk and
some raw milk products to obtain permits and be inspected to reduce health risks
associated with the nonpasteurized products.
Source:
http://www.pennlive.com/news/patriotnews/index.ssf?/base/news/1234924813256770.x
ml&coll=1
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[Return to top]
Water Sector
21. February 18, Associated Press – (California) Sausalito sewage spill likely to leak up
to 300,000 gallons. Officials estimate nearly 300,000 gallons of sewage will have
leaked into San Francisco Bay by the time a leaking pipe at a Sausalito treatment plant is
repaired. The general manager of the Sausalito-Marin City Sanitary District says the
leak is coming from a 23-year-old pipe at the agency’s Fort Baker treatment plant. A
spokesperson says the leak began around 1 p.m. February 17, but because the pipe is
under water repairs were not expected to begin until low tide February 18. He added that
rough surf could have contributed to the break in the pipeline. Signs warning people to
stay out of the water are posted along the Fort Baker shoreline. The water is expected to
remain off-limits for the next several days.
Source: http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_11729730?IADID=Searchwww.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com
22. February 18, Honolulu Advisor – (Hawaii) Sewage spills into West Loch. An
estimated 3,470 gallons of raw sewage flowed into Pearl Harbor’s West Loch on
Sunday, the city said. Tree roots clogging an 8-inch wastewater pipe caused a manhole
on Hamana Street in the West Loch Fairways subdivision to overflow, sending untreated
wastewater into a storm drain that empties into West Loch. The city notified the state
Department of Health. Signs have been posted and water sampling was conducted on
February 17. Additionally, crews from the city Department of Environmental Services
responded to a wastewater pipe break in Pearl City the afternoon of February 17 that
spilled 5,525 gallons of raw sewage. The 21-inch reinforced concrete pipe broke near
the intersection of Lehua and Second streets, sending 5,525 gallons of untreated
wastewater onto Navy property behind Lehua Elementary School and into East Loch,
Pearl Harbor.
Source:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090218/NEWS01/902180401/1190
See also:
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090218/BREAKING01/302180006
23. February 17, Lincoln Tribune – (North Carolina) Chemical spill clean up in East
Lincoln. A stream that runs behind Midtown Sundries was contaminated on February
12 and discovered on February 13. The contamination ignited a massive cleanup effort
by 10 area fire departments, North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Fire
Marshall’s office, and other agencies. The chemical contamination was discovered by
North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) workers who were in the area
repairing a broken manhole cover. When they lifted the cover, they found water that was
“milky” in appearance. DOT contacted the Lincoln County Water Department who
investigated and then notified the Lincoln County Fire Marshall’s office. The fire
marshal began investigating the cause of the water contamination and discovered the
source was from the Petro Express car wash. On February 12, a contractor that
maintains the car wash had attempted to unclog a drainage line at the convenience store.
By pumping water into the system, the lines pressurized and this caused the drainage
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network to overflow and runoff into the storm drains. The chief of the East Lincoln Fire
Department calculated that some 156,000 gallons of water was used in the cleanup. Fire
departments involved were: East Lincoln, Alexis, Denver, Lucia-Riverbend, High
Shoals, Stanley, Tryonata, Sherrils Ford, Huntersville, and Gilead. Gilead stood by at
East Lincoln’s Fire Department to cover any possible emergencies, while all of East
Lincoln’s personnel and most of their apparatus were involved in the clean up.
Source: http://www.lincolntribune.com/modules/news/article.php?storyid=10902
24. February 17, San Francisco Chronicle – (California) California taps sea for water
needs. About 20 water agencies up and down the California coast are considering using
desalinization. From Marin County to San Diego, small and large projects that turn
seawater into tap water are gaining favor, propelled by events unprecedented in
California’s history: worsening drought, dwindling species of freshwater fish, crumbling
plumbing systems, and unyielding demand. “People are worried about water supply,”
said the assistant general manager of water at the San Francisco Public Utilities
Commission. “Desalination is for drought supply, for an emergency, and it augments
existing supply - it’s another tool in our toolbox.” But critics argue that desalination is
an expensive, environmentally questionable last resort in a sprawling state that misuses
one of its greatest assets. “People are looking for an easy solution, and they look to the
ocean,” said the executive director of the California Coastkeeper Alliance, a watchdog
group. “They’re ignoring the opportunities we have for conservation, storm water reuse
and water recycling.” Santa Cruz and the Soquel Creek Water District hope to build a
$30 million to $40 million plant that would deliver 2.5 million gallons a day to more
than 130,000 customers by 2015. A plant that size would help boost supply during
summer months and droughts.
Source: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/400469_deslination18.html
[Return to top]
Public Health and Healthcare Sector
25. February 18, Associated Press – (National) Report: FDA scaled back enforcement at
labs. An independent watchdog group says the government has quietly scaled back
enforcement of federal quality regulations at labs that develop medical devices. The
Project on Government Oversight found that the Food and Drug Administration has
dramatically reduced inspections of “good laboratory practices” at facilities that do the
earliest testing of medical devices. Such inspections declined from 33 in 2005, to seven
in 2007, to just one last year, according to a report the group was releasing on February
18. No inspections are planned for this year, the report said. Medical devices range from
stents to pacemakers to complex imaging machines. Before they are tried out on
humans, they are tested in labs using specialized machinery or animals. At issue is the
government’s monitoring of that initial testing. Medical devices are overseen by an FDA
division called the Center for Devices and Radiological Health. The center has been
shaken by recent complaints from its own scientists that managers squelched debate,
leading to the approval of devices that were of questionable effectiveness and perhaps
not entirely safe. It is unclear whether the relaxed enforcement resulted in harm to
patients. In a letter to the oversight group, the FDA said manufacturers are still required
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to abide by the lab standards, and must certify in writing that they do so. The FDA says
it can make better use of its scarce resources, and still protect the public, by focusing its
enforcement on clinical trials that involve human test subjects, and not on early
experiments in the lab.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021800190.html
26. February 18, Chicago Tribune – (Illinois) Good news, bad news in super-staph study.
Drug-resistant staph infections are more common in Illinois hospital patients than
previously thought, according to new data from the Illinois Hospital Association. But
medical centers may not be to blame: The overwhelming majority of hospital patients
with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, were already infected
before being admitted, the data suggest. The findings highlight how prevalent the drugdefying bacteria have become in Illinois communities as well as the importance of
measures to stem the spread of infections. For its latest snapshot, the association relied
on expanded diagnostic data reported by hospitals in 2008. Also last year, medical
centers screened all intensive care and “at risk” patients for MRSA under a new state
law. Just 5.3 percent of infected patients contracted MRSA during their hospital stay,
according to nine months of 2008 data analyzed by the association. That is much lower
than the 23 percent figure reported nationally by the Association for Professionals in
Infection Control in 2007, and the reasons for the disparity remain unclear. The
infections commonly develop when catheters known as central lines are inserted in
major blood vessels, providing an opportunity for bacteria to migrate into the
bloodstream. When a Johns Hopkins physician asked Michigan hospitals to follow a
checklist of precautionary measures when inserting central lines in intensive-care-unit
patients, all catheter-related bloodstream infections were eliminated within three
months, according to a well-known 2006 study. This week, the Illinois Hospital
Association is announcing a new voluntary initiative to bring the Pronovost checklist to
intensive-care units in hospitals across the state.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/features/lifestyle/health/chi-mrsa-18feb18,0,431452.story
27. February 18, WRIC 8 Richmond – (Virginia) Richmond clinic evacuated after spill. A
chemical spill at a Richmond kidney dialysis clinic on February 18 forced the
evacuation of employees and patients. Just before 6:30 a.m., employees called
authorities after experiencing burning and stinging eyes. Employees were evacuated to a
GRTC bus outside of the clinic, and some patients were moved to VCU Medical Center.
Fire investigators said they have identified the chemical causing the symptoms and are
cleaning it up. No kidney dialysis patients were injured.
Source: http://www.wric.com/Global/story.asp?S=9863325
28. February 17, Associated Press – (Missouri) 2nd soldier at Missouri base dies of
meningitis. A second soldier stationed at the Army’s Fort Leonard Wood base in
Missouri has died of meningitis, officials said Tuesday. Leonard Wood officials said the
soldier died Tuesday at a hospital in Springfield. Another soldier from the base died
February 9. Base officials said both soldiers had a non-contagious form of meningitis.
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The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sent four representatives to
investigate. Base officials said they were increasing soldiers’ awareness of preventive
measures, reminding them to wash their hands, avoid sharing utensils, and to use proper
cough etiquette. Meningitis can be caused by a bacterial or viral infection. The viral
form is generally less severe. Bacterial meningitis can result in brain damage, hearing
loss, learning disability, and death.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5g8NAB7oVVh62FlnmULUReY
I7GenwD96DI8280
29. February 17, Associated Press – (National) ICUs see big drop in dangerous staph
superbugs. A government report says the rate of dangerous staph infections has
dropped dramatically in hospital intensive-care units, a rare encouraging sign about a
hard-to-treat “superbug.” The report involving nearly 600 hospitals is the largest to
document a long-term decline in the level of IV tube-related infections of MRSA, a
deadly drug-resistant staph germ. The rate of MRSA bloodstream infections connected
with intravenous tubes fell almost 50 percent between 1997 and 2007. The decline
occurred at most types of intensive care units that reported these infections to the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the study period. “We may actually
be starting to get a toehold on” these dangerous germs, said a Vanderbilt University
infectious disease specialist who was not involved in the research. The study authors say
the results are likely a sign that doctors and nurses are working harder at prevention
efforts. These include frequent hand-washing, instrument sterilization, and other
measures.
Source:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iuTUoLRU8BipNBWQuS_Hbl
LszhbwD96DIDI00
30. February 17, Xinhua – (International) Czech researchers exposed to bird flu virus.
Thirteen Czech researchers have been exposed to the H5N1 bird flu virus strain through
a contaminated vaccine obtained from an Austrian company, a newspaper reported
Tuesday. The 13 people who had contact with the ferrets were in danger but were not
infected with the lethal virus, said a spokesman for the Czech veterinary authority. The
researchers were given an anti-viral vaccine and underwent tests. The bird flu virus was
being tested positive on ferrets by the Biotest company when the animals began to die.
Baxter, the Austrian pharmaceutical company that developed the vaccine, admitted that
it mistakenly sent infected material to the Czech Republic.
Source: http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/18/content_10838633.htm
[Return to top]
Government Facilities Sector
31. February 17, Stars and Stripes – (International) USS Lassen involved in collision with
pleasure boat. A Navy destroyer and a pleasure boat collided near Japan’s Yokosuka
harbor on February 15, but appeared to suffer no significant damage, Japanese Coast
Guard and Navy officials said. At about 12:25 p.m., the guided-missile destroyer USS
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Lassen made contact with the Sumomo II, a 34-foot boat with four people on board,
according to statements from the Navy and Japanese Coast Guard. “Although there are
some damages at the bow and the starboard side of the boat, none of the four people on
board were injured,” according to the translated Japanese Coast Guard statement. “There
was also no flooding and [Sumomo II] was able to self operate/navigate.” The Sumomo
II captain was fishing when the incident occurred, according to the Japanese Coast
Guard statement. The Lassen returned to port under its own power, Navy officials said.
Preliminary indications showed no significant damage to the ship, Navy officials said.
Source: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=60761&source=rss
32. February 15, All Headline News – (California) Bomb detonates inside California
prison. A bomb detonated inside a federal prison in California during a search of the
facility on February 14. No one was injured in the blast, CNN reported. The device was
found in the recreational area of the Victorville Federal Penitentiary. It was found by a
guard doing a routine search “of inmate property,” a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman
said. She told CNN it was “detonated upon discovery.” No inmates were in the area
when the explosion occurred. Bomb squad officers from the San Bernardino Sheriff’s
Office and agents from the FBI responded to the prison to make sure the device no
longer posed a threat. The FBI does not believe the incident was related to terrorism.
Source: http://www.gantdaily.com/news/35/ARTICLE/43865/2009-02-15.html
[Return to top]
Emergency Services Sector
33. February 17, Asheville Citizen-Times – (North Carolina) Buncombe County plans new
$15 million emergency services training facility. After years of planning, Buncombe
County, North Carolina, commissioners approved Tuesday spending the first $853,150
for architectural designs for the 30-acre emergency services training facility. The first
structure would be a “burn building” where firefighters could train to get out of a blaze
alive. Inadequate training was partly to blame for the deaths of the nine Charleston,
South Carolina, firefighters killed in a warehouse blaze last year, who were only 10 feet
away from a safe exit. The county sheriff said the facility would also provide a shooting
range for local law enforcement to train for state-required certification. A driving range
would provide opportunities for crews to learn to handle fire trucks, ambulances, and
other emergency vehicles.
Source: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990217107
34. February 17, Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record – (New York) Middletown police
hit with “swatting” 911 calls. Middletown, New York, police say they are investigating
prank emergency calls that are part of a trend of computer-based phone fraud sweeping
the country. Known as “swatting,” so called because they are aimed at eliciting police
SWAT team responses, the calls exploit a weakness in the 911 calling system, making
them virtually untraceable. A Middletown police official said five such calls were made
from January 20-22, prompting police in Middletown to respond to the high school and
to locations on Linden Avenue and Wickham Avenue. He said one of the calls was of a
fake bomb threat to the high school and the other two reported incidents involved guns
- 13 -
and fighting. Perpetrators of the calls typed in their messages to an operator at a hearing
impaired communications service in Utah, which then relayed the message by voice to
Orange County 911. Middletown Police grew suspicious after several of the calls came
in with untraceable origins. The communications company, Sorenson Communications
of Salt Lake City, refused to release the IP addresses of the computers used for the
prank, citing federal communications regulations prohibiting the release of such
information.
Source:
http://www.recordonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090217/NEWS/90217052
35. February 16, New York Times – (National) Re-evaluation of national security
ordered. The U.S. Homeland Security Secretary is re-evaluating the largest federal
program for testing the country’s ability to respond to terrorist attacks. As governor of
Arizona, she sent a two-page letter to her predecessor as secretary, complaining that a
$25 million national exercise in October 2007 — which she and 23,000 other federal,
state, and local emergency workers participated in — was too expensive, too long in
planning, and “too removed from a real-world scenario.” Now, in her first weeks as
head of the Homeland Security Department, she has ordered a review of that program
and several others, including cybersecurity, a strategy for protecting the border with
Canada, and the vulnerability of power plants and other critical infrastructure.
Emergency planners say they have already taken her criticisms to heart, improving
federal coordination with state and local partners in planning the disaster drill this
summer, increasing the frequency of national exercises to every year from every two,
cutting costs to encourage wider participation, and providing feedback within 90 days to
participants on what went well and what did not. “Most of them were already on the
radar scope in one way, shape or form,” said a retired Army National Guard major
general who is an assistant FEMA administrator overseeing the national exercise
division, “but her letter helped crystallize, I think, some of the things we needed to do.”
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/us/politics/17terror.html?hp
[Return to top]
Information Technology
36. February 17, CNET News – (International) New exploit targets IE 7 hole patched last
week. Cybercriminals are exploiting a critical hole in Internet Explorer 7 that was
patched recently by Microsoft, security firm Trend Micro warned on February 17. The
malicious code, which Trend Micro named “XML_DLOADR.A,” is hidden in a Word
document. On unpatched systems, when the file is opened an ActiveX object
automatically accesses a Web site to open a backdoor that installs a .DLL (dynamic link
library) file that can steal information, according to a Trend Micro blog entry. The code
sends stolen data to another Web address via port 443, Trend Micro said. As a result of
the back door, “anybody can run commands on the affected system,” said a senior threat
analyst and researcher at Trend Micro. Microsoft released a security patch for the
vulnerability, and others, recently. The vulnerability arises from the browser’s improper
handling of errors when attempting to access deleted objects. “It looks like a proof of
concept or targeted attack,” the analyst said. The exploit is similar to politically
- 14 -
motivated attacks that were seen before the Olympics last year in which PDF files and
Word documents contained exploit code and automatically connected computers to
malicious Web sites, he said. It appears that the site directed to is in China and there is
Chinese terminology in the code, according to the analyst. That and the fact that the 50th
anniversary of the Tibetan uprising is approaching, on March 10, suggests that this
attack could be politically motivated as well, he said.
Source: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-1016615183.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Security
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
37. February 17, DarkReading – (International) Smartphone threats intensify. Security
threats were bound to catch up with the proliferation of smartphones across the
enterprise. More than half of mobile device-makers said their products experienced
malware, voice, or text spam attacks last year, according to a newly published report
from McAfee. Experts have long warned that smartphones, such as Windows Mobile
and iPhone handsets, could become the new weakest link in the enterprise, with more
users relying on them for accessing corporate email, surfing the Web, and other
applications. “[Users] want to do everything on them,” said a Toronto-based
independent consultant. “But they are [typically] completely bypassing the IT
infrastructure.” They are also bypassing security, he says, putting sensitive corporate
data at risk. McAfee’s report, which is based on a survey of 30-plus mobile device
manufacturers from around the world, found these vendors are getting hit with more
malware attacks than ever before. As a result, they are spending more money on
recovering from them. Nearly 55 percent said network or service-capacity problems
have ensued due to mobile security incidents — up from 25 percent in 2007. Around
half said third-party application/content problems had plagued their devices last year, up
from around 25 percent in 2007. Around 48 percent said their devices accounted for data
loss problems, up from around 27 percent in 2007.
Source:
http://www.darkreading.com/personal_tech/smartphones/showArticle.jhtml;jsessionid=
OESIVE3O2JX5AQSNDLPSKHSCJUNN2JVN?articleID=214303555
38. February 17, Chicago Tribune – (National) 400 stations to go digital on Tuesday. At
midnight on February 17, more than 400 broadcasters across the country plan to
permanently shut off analog signals and air only digital programming. The change
potentially could confuse television viewers who were expecting to have four more
- 15 -
months to make the transition to digital TV, as was approved by Congress this month.
Although Congress voted to delay the digital edict to June 12, the bill allowed stations to
make the switch early with Federal Communications Commission approval. Stations
that want to turn off analog signals can do so if they take steps to mitigate the effect and
make viewers aware of the switch, the FCC said. For example, stations must ensure that
at least one analog signal is on the air in their market, keep some sort of analog signal on
air for 30 days after the switch, and step up efforts to inform the public about the
change. Fifty-three stations said they would take such action and switch early, 10 are in
limbo pending hardship appeals, and 43 said they would wait until June. All told, about
one-third of the nation’s TV stations plan to switch by the original deadline.
Source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-tue-digital-tvfeb17,0,6673328.story
[Return to top]
Commercial Facilities Sector
39. February 17, Pittsburgh Post Gazette – (Pennsylvania) Man held after bomb squad
summoned in Clarion. A West Virginia man was arrested February 17 after he left a
piece of luggage near propane tanks at the Wal-Mart in Clarion. The 24 year old man, of
Beckley, was charged with disorderly conduct, criminal mischief, and facsimile
weapons of mass destruction. State police said he rolled the luggage into the store and
then back outside, where he left it near the propane tanks, located near the store’s front
entrance. The state police bomb squad determined the bag did not contain a bomb. The
man was spotted on store security cameras and eventually arrested in Shippenville, state
police said. He was jailed in lieu of $30,000 bond.
Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09048/949692-100.stm
40. February 17, Meadville Tribune – (Pennsylvania) Geocache game forces Wal-Mart
evacuation. A suspicious small black box was found in the parking lot of the Wal-Mart
in Oil Creek Township around 10:30 a.m., according to Pennsylvania State Police at
Corry. The box was discovered to contain small items used in a global positioning
system Internet game after the store was evacuated as a precaution, according to police.
There were between 40 and 50 people in the Titusville Wal-Mart at the time of the
police-ordered evacuation after the package was discovered, according to a Wal-Mart
employee. There were no injuries reported and the Erie Police Department bomb squad
was called in to dispose of the box. It was destroyed in the parking lot by the bomb
squad around 1 p.m. The store reopened about 1:20, according to store officials. The
February 17 incident was the fourth time in recent weeks the Erie Police bomb squad
has had to dispose of such an item, said a sergeant with the Erie Police bomb squad.
Such boxes have been placed in public areas without permission as part of a game called
geocaching, he said.
Source: http://www.meadvilletribune.com/local/local_story_049001102.html
41. February 17, WJXT 4 Jacksonville – (Florida) Police: Be on lookout for Army shells.
Police are asking people to be on the lookout for large artillery shell casings after a
number of spent shells were located behind a beaches strip mall. Police were notified on
- 16 -
February 16 of several empty 105-millimeter Army shell casings on a pallet behind a
strip mall in Atlantic Beach. None of them were loaded or dangerous, but it appeared
that some of them were removed, prompting the police to alert the public. “Our concern
is that some of the ordinance casings could be live and we need to try and recover them
to make sure they are safe,” said a Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office (JSO) sergeant. He said
they do know where the shells came from, but investigations by both the JSO’s bomb
squad and military authorities are under way. People in the area said the shell casings
had been stacked there for up to three months and people might have taken them to sell
metal to make some money.
Source: http://www.news4jax.com/news/18733619/detail.html#[Return to top]
National Monuments & Icons Sector
42. February 17, Washington Post – (National) Justice Dept. defends Bush rule on guns.
The current Presidential Administration is legally defending a last-minute rule enacted
by the former President that allows concealed firearms in national parks, even as it is
internally reviewing whether the measure meets environmental muster. In a response on
February 13 to a lawsuit by gun-control and environmental groups, the Justice
Department sought to block a preliminary injunction of the controversial rule. The
regulation, which took effect January 9, allows visitors to bring concealed, loaded guns
into national parks and wildlife refuges; for more than two decades they were allowed in
such areas only if they were unloaded or stored and dismantled. The Justice Department
wrote that the new rule “does not alter the environmental status quo, and will not have
any significant impacts on public health and safety.” But the Interior Secretary has asked
for an internal assessment of whether the measure has any environmental impacts the
government needs to take into account, an Interior spokesman said February 17.
Source: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/02/16/AR2009021601151.html
43. February 17, Associated Press – (Colorado) Drilling on Colo. refuge delayed until
August. A Canadian firm has agreed to not drill in Colorado’s Baca National Wildlife
Refuge until August. Toronto-based Lexam Energy Exploration had planned to drill at
least two exploratory wells in the refuge, next to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in
south-central Colorado. Lexam’s vice president of strategic development said on
February 17 the company agreed to delay drilling as it tries to work through legal
roadblocks. The San Luis Valley Ecosystem Council and Citizens for San Luis ValleyWater Protection Coalition are seeking a preliminary injunction against drilling as part
of a lawsuit in U.S. District Court. The two groups filed suit seeking to force the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the site, to do another environmental
analysis, arguing the initial review was not thorough. That analysis, released in October
2008, found the drilling would have no significant effect on the San Luis Valley refuge.
The environmental groups want the Fish and Wildlife Service to examine the effects
drilling would have on aquifer systems, wetlands, and wildlife in the area. Lexam
acquired the mineral rights in the 1990s in what was then the 97,000-acre Baca Ranch.
The land was later acquired by the Federal Government to preserve the terrain and
- 17 -
geological features responsible for the sand dunes. Some of the land became part of the
national park, with the rest becoming the refuge in 2004. Federal law gives mineralrights holders the right to reasonable use of the surface to extract minerals.
Source: http://www.denverpost.com/lacrosse/ci_11722708
[Return to top]
Dams Sector
44. February 18, Springfield News-Leader – (Missouri) No electricity from Stockton
Dam’s damaged turbine, Corps says. The turbine at Stockton Dam is so seriously
damaged it will not produce electricity for at least a year, according to the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers. The dam was shut down after operators noticed the dam’s single
turbine was vibrating more than normal on February 4, according to a news release from
the Corps’ Kansas City District. Divers checked the turbine and found that one of six
turbine blades was broken and that three others were damaged. Engineers determined
the damage was caused by metal fatigue and age. The turbine that underwent its last
detailed inspection in 2005 normally produces 88 kilowatts of electricity valued at $13.4
million each year. Although production of electricity has stopped, Lake Stockton will
continue with its other roles and dam’s integrity has not been affected, according to the
Corps.
Source:
http://www.newsleader.com/article/20090218/BREAKING03/90218005/1007/NEWS01
[Return to top]
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DHS Daily Open Source Infrastructure Report Contact Information
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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
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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.
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