Infrastructure protection

Owners of Chicago’s second-tallest building say they are prepared
The Aon Center, the fourteenth-tallest building in the world is a prime target for terrorist according to a DHS spokesman; the owners of the building, however, believe they are prepared
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California prepares all-in-one business recovery and continuity plan
Hurricane Katrina was a great example of the need for states to have their own continuity plans; California has learned the lesson from the Gulf Coast region and is preparing to secure its own critical infrastructure in an all-in-one plan
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Hezbollah rocket hits Israeli detergent factory
A Hezbollah rocket hits a detergent factory near a northern Israeli city; the rocket caused massive firs but no toxic release; it could have been worse
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The fortressing of Canada
The Canadian government is tightening security around government building is Ottawa and the surrounding area; their solution? The deterrent du jour: a fence
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Griffin, ICx merge, bolstering ICx’s chemical detection offerings
ICx wanted to bolster its chemical detection division, so it merged with detection specialist Griffin
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L-3 acquires U.K. communication security specialist TRL Electronics
Leading U.S. defense contractor deepens its communication security offerings by acquiring a U.K. specialist in communication countermeasures protecting sensitive electronic data during transmission
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DHS distributes ICRI interoperable communication system to 43 communities
DHS is making a point of helping small and resource-poor communicates equip their emergency and first-response forces with interoperable communication gear; in the latest round, DHS has distributed interoperable equipment from Virginia-based C-AT to 43 communities
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Analysis: What the U.S. chemical industry can learn from its Israeli counterpart
One of the key issues in the debate over the impending chemical plant safety legislation is the issue of IST, or inherent safer technology: Security experts argue that the 300 or so U.S. chemical plants operating near population centers should be required to replace the most toxic and volatile chemicals they use and store with safer chemicals; the industry and its friends in Congress dismiss the call for IST conversion as being motivated by environmental concerns, not national security; what is the position of the Israeli chemical industry on the issue of IST and terrorism?
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Maryland industry-government critical infrastructure working group faces difficulties
Most of the U.S. critical infrastructure is in private hands, so it makes sense to create a structured government-industry collaborative system for dealing with emergencies related to critical infrastructure; trouble is, the kind of information industry participants should share in such an effort is not only helpful in coping with terrorist acts – it is also helpful to one’s competitors
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House panel passes chemical plant safety bill
The House panel has now joined a Senate panel in passing a draft chemical plant safety bill; both bills offer qualified federal preemption, and no IST
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Senate takes first step toward regulating chemical plant safety
The Senate takes a step – half a step, critics charge – toward a more meaningful safety scheme for chemical plants
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Chemical plant security becomes a federal responsibility
Finally action is being taken; the Senate has approved legislation that would give DHS control of chemical plant security; but hopefully Secretary Chertoff’s idea of voluntary industry regulation isn’t on the table, otherwise we are back to square one
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U.S. updates national emergency broadcast system
In 1951 President Harry Truman launched a national emergency radio broadcasting system aiming to alert Americans in the event of a Soviet nuclear attack on the U.S.; that system, thankfully, was never used, but President Bush has now ordered its upgrading so it could be used to broadcast warnings about national emergencies to Americans’ PDAs, cellular phones, Web sites, e-mail boxes, TV, and radio
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Foreign companies line up to bid on Midway airport
Earlier this year the firestorm over a Dubai-based company’s plans to run operations in several U.S. ports caused many to rethink the question of foreign ownership of U.S. critical infrastructure assets; still, as the city of Chicago is getting set to lease its Midway airport, all the likely bidders are non-U.S. companies
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Large Brazilian dam cracks
The tallest — and newest — dam in Brazil seriously cracks as an underground tunnel beneath it collapses
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