Critical Releases in Homeland Security: June 16, 2010

"On April 20, 2010, an explosion and fire occurred on the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig in the Gulf of Mexico. This resulted in 11 worker fatalities, a massive oil release, and a national response effort in the Gulf of Mexico region by the federal and state governments as well as BP. The United States Geological Survey has estimated that 17-39 million gallons of oil have been released into the Gulf of Mexico. BP is attempting to stop the flow of oil from the Deepwater Horizon drilling site with 'top kill.' The oil spill has damaged natural resources and has had regional economic impacts. In addition, questions have been raised as to whether the regulations and regulators of offshore oil exploration have kept pace with increasingly complex technologies needed to explore and develop deeper waters. [...] Several issues for Congress have emerged as a result of the Deepwater Horizon incident. What lessons should be drawn from the incident? What technological and regulatory changes may be needed to meet risks peculiar to drilling in deeper water? How should Congress distribute costs associated with a catastrophic oil spill? What interventions may be necessary to ensure recovery of Gulf resources and amenities? What does the Deepwater Horizon incident imply for national energy policy, and the tradeoffs between energy needs, risks of deepwater drilling, and protection of natural resources and amenities? This report provides an overview of selected issues related to the Deepwater Horizon incident and is not intended to be comprehensive. It will be updated to reflect emerging issues."

This report "focuses on major incidents of anti-U.S. violence and terrorism, with apparent political motivations, that occurred worldwide during 2009. The U.S. Department of State closely monitors and maintains information on threats to Americans overseas -- from terrorism and organized violence, to street crimes and health hazards -- and makes this information freely available. It is the policy of the U.S. Government that no double standard shall exist regarding the dissemination of threat information that affects U.S. Citizens. Government employees may not benefit unfairly by access to, or possession of privileged information that applies equally to all Americans. In view of the enormous number of hostile incidents that occur universally in the course of a year, the particular events cited in [this report] were selected based upon certain specific criteria in addition to their political nature, including one or more of the following: the presence of casualties, substantial property damage, or the use of unusual tactics and weapons, together with a perception of the targets as intentionally those of the United States, or representatives of U.S. interests. The incidents included here were reported to Department of State Diplomatic Security personnel posted at U.S. missions worldwide, and comprise the best information (sometimes incomplete) that is available. Some incidents are never reported to U.S. officials, of course. A few unique incidents have been omitted due to their sensitive nature, as have the names of American citizens for privacy purposes."

"The use of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), whether by a hostile nation, a terrorist group, or an individual, poses a potentially serious threat to the United States. [...] The federal government has taken various steps to prepare to meet that threat. [...] The National Response Framework established a comprehensive approach for a unified national response to natural and man-made disasters, including WMD incidents. The National Response Framework directs the Attorney General to appoint a Senior Federal Law Enforcement Official to coordinate and direct federal law enforcement support activities related to a critical incident. Further, the National Response Framework includes annexes called Emergency Support Functions (ESF) that assign specific responsibilities to federal agencies in the event of a disaster. Under the National Response Framework, the Department of Justice (Department or DOJ) is assigned by ESF-13 the responsibility for coordinating federal law enforcement activities in response to a critical incident, such as a WMD attack, and for ensuring public safety and security in the event an incident overwhelms state and local law enforcement. This review evaluated the readiness of the Department and its components to respond to a potential WMD incident. In addition, we examined the readiness of Department components' field offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) to respond in a coordinated way to a WMD incident. Our review found that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has taken appropriate steps to prepare to respond to a potential WMD attack. [...] However, we concluded that the Department of Justice as a whole and components within the Department have not implemented adequate WMD response plans. As a result, the Department is not fully prepared to provide a coordinated response to a WMD incident."