Federal Drive

Tuesday Morning Federal Newscast

Queen Anne\'s County rejects federal security training complex proposal.

Federal News Network Staff

December 29, 2009 7:37 am

4 min read

Written by Phil Vogel & Tom Temin
Edited by Andrew Mitchell

This morning’s federal news as heard on WFED:

Queen Anne’s County, Md, doesn’t want that federal security training complex after all. County commissioners have withdrawn support for the Foreign Affairs Security Training Center after more than 30 of the 100 people in attendance spoke in opposition to the project. The county blames a lack of information and communication from federal agencies, and say people are concerned about weapons training, traffic and water pollution at the proposed training center. The State Department wants to consolidate training at one site within 150 miles of Washington. Officials announced last month that the Queen Anne’s County site was the preferred site.

The Transportation Security Administration has eased airline security rules that were put in place after the foiled terror plot, according to Reuters. The TSA will now let pilots decide whether to allow passengers to keep items in their laps or require them to remain seated during portions of the flight. While a TSA spokeswoman has declined to confirm the change, the source says, the agency also will let pilots and airlines determine whether in-flight entertainment systems that show a plane’s location should be turned off to avoid a security risk.

The blizzards that hit the Midwest and the Eastern Seaboard this month did more than shut down schools and the federal government, according to The Wall Street Journal. They also left a huge tab to pay. Maryland’s State Highway Administration has spent more than $27 million this year on snow removal, but the agency’s annual snow-removal budget is just $26 million, according the Journal. Stacey Stegman, a spokeswoman for the Department of Transportation, said it costs Colorado $4.85 to send one snowplow one mile down one lane of highway. “It adds up,” Ms. Stegman said. “We’re tightening the belt.” Similar adjustments are going on across the country – and they often mean less plowing.

High-tech security scanners that might have prevented the apparent Christmas Day attempt to blow up a jetliner have been installed in only a small number of airports around the world, in large part because of privacy concerns over the way the machines see through clothing. Jay Stanley of the American Civil Liberties Union’s Technology and Liberty Program said the machines essentially perform “virtual strip searches that see through your clothing and reveal the size and shape of your body.” Because similar explosives won’t set off metal detectors, the TSA has begun installing two types of advanced scanning machines that provide a more detailed picture, which cost six figures each.

Tsunamis may not be at the top of everyone’s mind but NOAA’s Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunamis program (DART) has deployed 39 second-generation sensors in three oceans, according to Government Computer News. Not only has the number of sensors increased since the 2004 disaster, but better computer modeling has made for more accurate tsunami forecasting. The heart of the DART system is a network of ocean buoys that report sea level changes as measured by water pressure on the ocean floor and can be monitored in real time on the program’s Web site.

The Harris Corp. has received a $311.4 million dollar increase to provide the Marines with high-frequency man-pack radios (HRMR), according to Washington Technology. The monetary ceiling increase becomes effective after the current ordering period, which ends Feb. 10, 2010. Harris is scheduled to begin delivering the radios under the initial ordering period this month, according the the Department of Defense.

More news links

Al Qaeda Takes Credit for Plot (WSJ)

Terror Watch Lists Come Under Scrutiny (WSJ)

U.S. Authorities Missed Terror-Threat Signs (WSJ)

Mom fights to be buried with soldier son (AP)

Wireless phone companies pushing to use federal, defense frequencies (AP)

Key security agencies lack permanent leaders (AP)

Fewer law enforcement officers died on job in 2009 (AP)

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