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Daily Archives: November 22, 2010

DOE IG Report on Office Charged With Secure Transport of Nuclear Weapons

DOE IG Inspection Letter Report – Inspection of Allegations Relating to Irregularities in the Human Reliability Program and Alcohol Abuse within the Office of Secure Transportation (OST), November 2010

  • “OST conducts transportation missions in support of national security, including the secure transportation of nuclear weapons, weapon components and special nuclear material through the use of a professional force of Federal Agents. These Agents participate in a 21-week Agent Candidate Training Program designed to assist them with preventing the theft, sabotage or takeover of protected materials by unauthorized persons. These Agents also participate in a security and safety reliability program (HRP) designed to ensure that they meet the highest standards of reliability and physical and mental suitability.”
  • New GAO Reports: HUD Info Technology, NASA, Maritime Security

    Information Technology: HUD Needs to Better Define Commitments and Disclose Risks for Modernization Projects in Future Expenditure Plans, GAO-11-72, November 23, 2010 NASA: Medium Launch Transition Strategy Leverages Ongoing Investments but Is Not Without Risk, GAO-11-107, November 22, 2010 Maritime Security: Responses to Questions for the Record, GAO-11-140R, October 22, 2010 Continue Reading

    CDC: 1 in 4 of the Largest U.S. Airports Still Allows Smoking Indoors

    Millions at risk of exposure to secondhand smoke in airports: “As the nation approaches Thanksgiving, the busiest travel season of the year, a new CDC report shows that 22 percent of U.S. passenger boardings take place at seven of the largest airports that still allow smoking indoors, putting air travelers and workers at risk of… Continue Reading

    EFF Tool Offers New Protection Against Exploits of Webpage Security Flaws

    News release: “The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has launched a new version of HTTPS Everywhere, a security tool that offers enhanced protection for Firefox browser users against “Firesheep” and other exploits of webpage security flaws. HTTPS secures web browsing by encrypting both requests from your browser to websites and the resulting pages that are displayed.… Continue Reading

    CRS: Water Infrastructure Projects Designated in EPA Appropriations: Trends and Policy Implications

    Water Infrastructure Projects Designated in EPA Appropriations: Trends and Policy Implications, Claudia Copeland, Specialist in Resources and Environmental Policy, October 28, 2010 “Congressional action to designate funds within appropriations legislation for specified projects or locations has been increasing in recent years as a way to help communities meet needs to build and upgrade water infrastructure… Continue Reading

    CRS: Winter Fuels Outlook 2010-2011

    Winter Fuels Outlook 2010-2011, Robert Pirog, Specialist in Energy Economics, October 29, 2010 “The Energy Information Administration (EIA) in its Short-Term Energy and Winter Fuels Outlook (STEWFO) for the 2010-2011 winter heating season projects that American consumers should expect to see heating expenditures rise by 2.5% on average compared to last winter. Average expenditures for… Continue Reading

    CRS: The Status of the Basel III Capital Adequacy Accord

    The Status of the Basel III Capital Adequacy Accord, Walter W. Eubanks, Specialist in Financial Economics, October 28, 2010 “The new Basel Capital Adequacy Accord (Basel III) is of concern to Congress mainly because it could put U.S. financial institutions at a competitive disadvantage in world financial markets. The Basel capital accord is an agreement… Continue Reading

    DOE IG Special Report – Management Challenges at the Department of Energy

    Department of Energy Office of Inspector General, Management Challenges at the Department of Energy, November 2010 “As the largest civilian contracting agency in the Federal government, the Department awards contracts to industrial companies, academic institutions, and non-profit organizations that operate a broad range of Department facilities. In fact, a substantial portion of the Department’s operations… Continue Reading