Critical Releases in Homeland Security: January 26, 2011

Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling: Report to the President was released by the National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling. President Obama charged the Commission "to determine the causes of the disaster, and to improve the country's ability to respond to spills, and to recommend reforms to make offshore energy production safer."The Commission's report presents the American public and policymakers with the fullest account available of what happened in the Gulf and why, and proposes actions: changes in company behavior, reform of Government oversight, and investments in research and technology will be required as the industry moves forward to meet the nation's energy needs. "The report is divided into three sections: Chapters 1 through 3 describe the events of April 20th on the Deepwater Horizon, and, more important, the events leading up to it in the preceding decades--especially how the dramatic expansion of deepwater drilling in the Gulf was not met by regulatory oversight capable of ensuring the safety of those drilling operations. Chapters 4 through 7 lay out the results of our investigation in detail, highlighting the crucial issues we believe must inform policy going forward: the specific engineering and operating choices made in drilling the Macondo well, the attempts to contain and respond to the oil spill, and the impacts of the spill on the region's natural resources, economy, and people--in the context of the progressive degradation of the Mississippi Delta environment. Chapters 8 through 10 present our recommendations for reforms in business practices, regulatory oversight, and broader policy concerns."

"E-Verify is a system to electronically verify work eligibility and operated by the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Social Security Administration (SSA). GAO [Government Accountability Office] testified in June 2008 that ensuring accuracy and combating fraud were challenges facing E-Verify. As requested, GAO examined the extent to which USCIS and SSA took efforts to (1) reduce tentative nonconfirmations (TNC) and E-Verify's vulnerability to fraud, (2) safeguard employee personal information, and (3) prepare for possible mandatory use by all employers nationwide. GAO reviewed key policy and procedural documents, interviewed relevant DHS and SSA officials, and conducted site visits to three states selected, in part, based on employer types. […] GAO recommends, among other things, that USCIS disseminate information to employees on the importance of consistently recording their names, DHS components develop procedures to help employees correct inaccurate personal information, USCIS develop reliable cost estimates for E-Verify, and SSA assess risks associated with its E-Verify workload costs. DHS and SSA generally agreed with most of GAO's recommendations. SSA disagreed that it should assess risks associated with its workload costs because it believes it already does so. GAO believes the recommendation is valid because SSA's risk estimate has limitations as discussed in the report."

"On December 20, 2010, CBS News reported that the Department of Homeland Security had uncovered a credible threat of attacks using poisons, such as ricin, in salad bars and buffets. Ricin, a deadly toxin derived from castor beans, has been identified as a potential bioweapon. Ricin is extremely toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and injection. No treatment or prophylaxis currently exists, though research into new therapies and vaccines against ricin exposure continues. Additionally, research to improve ricin detection is ongoing. Although ricin's potential use as a military weapon was investigated, its predominant use has been in small quantities against specific individuals. Most experts believe that ricin would be difficult to use as a weapon of mass destruction, but do not discount its potential as a weapon of terror. Ricin is on the Select Agent list, and its possession, transfer, or use is regulated under domestic and international law. This report will not be updated."

"The oversight responsibilities of the Committee on Armed Services are conducted throughout the calendar year. They are instrumental in the committee's consideration of the annual defense authorization bill, which covers the breadth of the operations of the Department of Defense as well as the national security functions of the Department of Energy and other related areas. The annual national defense budget involves millions of military and civilian personnel, thousands of facilities, and hundreds of agencies, departments, and commands located throughout the world. The wars in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan and the Republic of Iraq, as well as contingency operations related to the global war on terrorism, will continue to expand the range of topics requiring committee oversight including strategic, operational, and budgetary issues of great scope and complexity."