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House committee offers chemical plant safety bill: Qualified pre-emption, no IST
The march toward a chemical plant safety bill continues; a House committee put forth its version of the law, giving a nod to industry’s preferences by including a (qualified) federal preemption of state safety regulations and no mandatory IST
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HSPD-12 interoperability and compliance coalition formed
We’re only a few months from the mandatory compliance date with the IT security standard; large IT security providers create an organization to promote HSPD-12 compliance and interoperability
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NPRA nervous about impending chemical plant safety regulation
Even as the debate continues, it is clear that some legislation to regulate safety measures at chemical plants will emerge from Congress; the chemical industry, which until last December, opposed any such legislation, is now in its fall-back position, trying to make sure that such legislation has federal preemption of state safety rules; has no mandatory IST; and that safety information companies provide the government is exempt from FOIA
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Chemical plant safety: Another view
Philip Crowley of the Center for American Progress offers his views on chemical plant safety
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RSA stops trading amid acquisition rumors
Trading of shares for Massachusetts company was halted during morning trading in New York after a story in New York Times regarding possible acquisition
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URS to design container inspection facility at Port of L.A.
San Francisco company is heading down the PCH to build a container inspection facility on site of the former United States Customs Building on Terminal Island at the Port of Los Angeles; the project may cost upwards of $90 million
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Better protection against wireless leaks of information
With more and more sensitive government and corporate information being transmitted wirelessly, there is a growing need to thwart and mitigate the unauthorized wireless leaking of information; A California company has something to offer
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Arizona enlists university students to test emergency networks
Forget what you heard about Generation X: Technology-savvy university students and their instructors help the state pin-point problems with a wireless emergency network along a stretch of lonely highway
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Verizon to offer business continuity & disaster recovery solutions
Telecom giant partners with a consulting company as it makes its way into the business continuity field
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EMC acquires Kashya for $153 million
Pandemics are but one reason why more and more companies now pay attention to business continuity issues; a leading data management and storage company buys an innovative Israeli company specializing in network-based data replication and data protection
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Los Angeles invests in water testing equipment
Water treatemtn facilities are large and their water collection systems sprawling; they are inviting targets for terrorists, and DHS offers municiaplities funds to strengthen their wter montiroing capabilities
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UL to study fire-related materials, human behavior
Fire fighting is an essential part of rescue efforts following terrorist or natrural disasters; the materials now being used in buildings, and changing patterns of human behavior, have changed the fire fighting landscape, and DHS wants to know more about these changes
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Senator Inhofe may introduce a rival chemical plant safety bill
Chemical industry ally to offer chemical plant safety bill to rival the one being proposed by Senators Collins and Lieberman; new bill more hospitable to industry concerns about IST and protection of companies industrial secrets
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California trucking association supports port security measures
It was unclear for a while whether California trucking association would support background checks on the more 12,000 drivers who come in and out of the sprawling twin ports of Los Anegeles and Long Beach; the trucking association ow say it is for it
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GAO: Security of water treatment facilities below par
Water treatment facilities are inviting targets for terrorists because of the toxic chemicals they use and their proximity to population centers, but the water collection system is also vulnerable, and a recent report says not much has been done to protect it
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The long view
A Turning Point: U.S. Recognizes Agriculture as a Domain of Defense
The US has legitimized the role of food supply in national defense. It has recognized that in a world of rupture, a nation that cannot feed itself cannot defend itself. A new policy effectively ends the era of agriculture functioning solely as a commercial sector.
The US Doesn’t Need to Generate as Much New Electricity as You Think
Load shifting and improving energy efficiency could reduce the need for new power plants, but utilities often profit more from building than saving power.