Critical Releases in Homeland Security: July 10, 2013

"An efficient U.S.-Canadian border is critically important to U.S.-Canada cross-border business and the continued economic competitiveness of both countries. More than $612 billion of trade occurs between the U.S. and Canada in a year--Canadian exports to the United States support one in seven jobs in Canada, and U.S. exports to Canada support millions of jobs in the United States. The 'Beyond the Border (BTB) Action Plan', released in December 2011, helps facilitate legitimate trade and travel across the Canada-U.S. border while enhancing security of both countries. Both the U.S and Canadian governments have committed to work together through the BTB to ensure business travelers benefit from a more efficient and predictable border clearance processes. This report summarizes progress made by the Canadian and U.S. governments over the last year in facilitating the conduct of cross-border business and identifies a number of actions for future improvement."

"The United States, at the local, state, tribal, and Federal levels, has made a concerted effort to enhance, expand, and codify multiple measures designed to address the serious threats posed by illicit drug trafficking across the Southwest border and violence in Mexico Despite many successes, improved cooperation, coordination, unity of effort, and information sharing, illicit drug trafficking continues to be a multi-faceted threat to our national security which requires additional focus and effort Transnational criminal organizations based in Mexico with world-wide international connections continue to dominate the illegal drug supply chain and are continuing to expand their illegal activities throughout the United States Indeed, 90 to 95 percent of all cocaine that enters the United States continues to pass through the Mexico/Central America corridor from the cocaine source countries further south Mexico remains the primary foreign source of marijuana and methamphetamine destined for U S markets and is also a source and transit country for heroin The same organizations that traffic in drugs also control the south-bound flow of drug-related bulk currency and illegal weapons The smuggling and illegal export of weapons from the United States into Mexico is a threat to the overall safety and security of both countries and continues to fuel violence along the Southwest border and in the interior of Mexico Indeed, weapons smuggled into Mexico often end up in the hands of the Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) or other smuggling organizations where they can be employed against law enforcement officers and citizens in either country On its northern border with the United States, Mexico experienced a dramatic surge in border crime and violence in recent years due to intense competition between Mexican TCOs that employ predatory tactics to realize their profits."

"While no single step can reverse the effects of climate change, we have a moral obligation to future generations to leave them a planet that is not polluted and damaged. Through steady, responsible action to cut carbon pollution, we can protect our children's health and begin to slow the effects of climate change so that we leave behind a cleaner, more stable environment. In 2009, President Obama made a pledge that by 2020, America would reduce its greenhouse gas emissions in the range of 17 percent below 2005 levels if all other major economies agreed to limit their emissions as well. Today, the President remains firmly committed to that goal and to building on the progress of his first term to help put us and the world on a sustainable long-term trajectory. Thanks in part to the Administration's success in doubling America's use of wind, solar, and geothermal energy and in establishing the toughest fuel economy standards in our history, we are creating new jobs, building new industries, and reducing dangerous carbon pollution which contributes to climate change. In fact, last year, carbon emissions from the energy sector fell to the lowest level in two decades. At the same time, while there is more work to do, we are more energy secure than at any time in recent history. In 2012, America's net oil imports fell to the lowest level in 20 years and we have become the world's leading producer of natural gas -- the cleanest-burning fossil fuel."

"This is the annual report to Congress concerning intercepted wire, oral, or electronic communications required by Title III of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, § 802, Pub. L. No. 90-351 and codified at 18 U.S.C. § 2519(3). Section 2519(3) requires the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO) to report the number of federal and state 'applications for orders authorizing or approving the interception of wire, oral, or electronic communications pursuant to this chapter and the number of orders and extensions granted or denied pursuant to this chapter during the preceding calendar year,' along with a summary and analysis of data required to be filed with the AO. This report does not include data on interceptions regulated by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978, which the AO is not authorized to collect or report. […] The number of federal and state wiretaps reported in 2012 increased 24 percent from 2011. A total of 3,395 wiretaps were reported as authorized in 2012--1,354 authorized by federal judges and 2,041 by state judges. Compared to the applications approved during 2011, the number approved by federal judges increased 71 percent in 2012, and the number approved by state judges rose 5 percent. Two state wiretap applications were denied in 2012. In 24 states, a total of 120 separate local jurisdictions (including counties, cities, and judicial districts) reported wiretap applications for 2012. Applications in California, New York, and Nevada accounted for 69 percent of all applications approved by state judges. Seventy-seven federal jurisdictions submitted reports for 2012. The Northern District of Illinois authorized the most federal wiretaps (90), approximately 7 percent of total applications approved by federal judges."