-
Analysis: Debate over chemical plant safety bill intensifies
The debate in the Senate over the chemical plants safety bill intensifies; the major contention: whether or not plants will be required to adopt IST (inherently safe technologies)
-
-
Protecting buildings from blast effects
There are two ways to protect buildings from blast effects: Keep the source of the blast away from the building, or contain the explosion once the explosives made it into the building; here is a review of a blast-resistance trash can
-
-
L-3 selects AirWalk for CDMA-based IP-RAN
Communication during disasters is key to effective response, and L-3 chooses a developer of IP radio access networks for CDMA wireless voice and data networks
-
-
Study calls for creation of infrastructure commission to select projects for funding
Joining forces with calls for reforming lobbying practices in Congress, a group calls for creating a nonpartisan infrastructure commission to choose which earmarked projects should be funded and which ones rejected
-
-
Some chemical plants get it, many others do not; plant safety legislation will change that
Ronald Reagan used to say: “If you cannot make them see the light, make them feel the heat”; some chemical plants have taken plant security seriously, and Geismar, Louisiana-based Honeywell is one of them; trouble is, most of the 15,000 U.S. plants have not followed Honeywell’s example; the threat of federal legislation may concentrate their minds
-
-
Hurricanes cost the Bahamas 8 Percent of GDP
As we get ready for the 2006 hurricane season, it would help to consider what previous such seasons cost; in the Bahamas they concluded that the 2004 season cost 8 percent of GDP; the figures for the 2005 seas are not yet in
-
-
What makes Harvard’s network tick?
Harvard has a busy network with many demanding users; how does the school make it work — and work safely?
-
-
Preparing for the hurricane season
To make sure your communication system does not collapse during the next hurricane, you may want to a consider satellite-based system
-
-
IT sector to fashion disaster response and recover plan
The U.S. IT sector governing council wants to define and tighten the sector’s disaster recovery and business continuity procedures
-
-
Check Point-Sourcefire deal called off
Representatives of defense and intelligence agencies on CFIUS, the U.S. government committee examining the acquisition of U.S. companies by foreign companies, objected to Check Point’s acquisition of security software developer Sourcefire; with the firestorm over the scuttled DP World deal and legislation pending in Congress to limit foreign companies ownership of security-sensitive U.S. companies, the deal became doomed, and late last week the two companies announced its cancellation
-
-
TCS, SAP offer combined incident response communication solution
Two companies join their respective strengths — secure, reliable communication with multi-source information for situational awareness — to ensure that incident commanders in disaster incidents are in a position to make more informed decisions
-
-
Analysis: Even if chemical plants are more secure, transportation of chemicals will not be
Congress and the administration are inching — the more accurate word would be “millimetering” — toward formulating safety standards for U.S. chemical facilities; trouble is, even if security is enhanced at these facilities, the transportation of deadly chemicals will remain frighteningly vulnerable to attack
-
-
Worries continue about Indian Point disaster plans
The government disbursed more than $4 billion for bioterror defense, but states and localities chose to use much of it for other purposes; Senator Burr says this will now make it harder to get money to spend on vaccines
-
-
-
The long view
Water Wars: A Historic Agreement Between Mexico and US Is Ramping Up Border Tension
As climate change drives rising temperatures and changes in rainfall, Mexico and the US are in the middle of a conflict over water, putting an additional strain on their relationship. Partly due to constant droughts, Mexico has struggled to maintain its water deliveries for much of the last 25 years, deliveries to which it is obligated by a 1944 water-sharing agreement between the two countries.
Trump Is Fast-Tracking New Coal Mines — Even When They Don’t Make Economic Sense
In Appalachian Tennessee, mines shut down and couldn’t pay their debts. Now a new one is opening under the guise of an “energy emergency.”
Smaller Nuclear Reactors Spark Renewed Interest in a Once-Shunned Energy Source
In the past two years, half the states have taken action to promote nuclear power, from creating nuclear task forces to integrating nuclear into long-term energy plans.
Keeping the Lights on with Nuclear Waste: Radiochemistry Transforms Nuclear Waste into Strategic Materials
How UNLV radiochemistry is pioneering the future of energy in the Southwest by salvaging strategic materials from nuclear dumps –and making it safe.
Model Predicts Long-Term Effects of Nuclear Waste on Underground Disposal Systems
The simulations matched results from an underground lab experiment in Switzerland, suggesting modeling could be used to validate the safety of nuclear disposal sites.