A Publication by the ASCE Committee on Critical Infrastructure (CCI)
Eva Lerner-Lam, M.ASCE, Editor-In-Chief

CCI Blog: http://www.ascecriticalinfrastructure.org/

To view all archived issues of the CRIB Sheet, visit: http://ciasce.asce.org/CRIBSheetArchives.html

Message from the Editor

Got a bridge to sell? Many public agencies are looking to sell their bridges these days. There are also toll roads, tunnels, and ports available to the highest bidder. As they have been doing for many years in the energy and telecommunication sectors, today’s investment bankers, equity fund managers, and hedge fund managers are now bringing wealthy investors (including pension funds and foreign corporations) to the U.S. public infrastructure table, and suddenly politicians are shifting their focus from public sector operation and accountability for infrastructure to short- and long-term “rates of return” and ‘"alpha" and "beta" risks for fund managers. What is the civil engineer's role in this stunning transition? Will we insist on a place at the table, to lead the discussion on technical and social equity issues, or do we merely follow the conclusions drawn by outside investors and their financial advisors?

Read more and comment about the rapid development of the “asset monetization of U.S. public infrastructure” at a dedicated area of the ASCE CCI weblog at: http://uscriticalinfrastructure.typepad.com/asce_critical_infrastruct/assetmonetization.html

-Eva Lerner-Lam, M.ASCE
elernerlam@palisadesgroup.com

National Update

Congress Overrides Presidential Veto and Passes Water Resources Development Act
On November 7, 2007, Congress overrode a veto of the Water Resources Development Act (WRDA) by President Bush and authorized $23 billion in new water projects. The bill contains more than 900 projects and provides support for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It has been more than seven years since Congress passed a major water resources bill.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/11/08/congress.water/index.html?iref=newssearch

Rebuilding the I-35W Mississippi River Crossing
The Minnesota Department of Transportation has developed a website to provide current information about the status of the rebuilding of the I-35W Mississippi River Crossing at: http://www.dot.state.mn.us/i35wbridge/rebuild/index.html.

Federal Response to Southern California Wildfires
President Bush granted a major disaster declaration for California for seven affected California counties (Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Santa Barbara and Ventura).

http://www.fema.gov/hazard/wildfire/ca_2007.shtm

U.S. Department of Homeland Security Publishes Chemicals of Interest List
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently released Chemicals of Interest List: Appendix A of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). Facilities that have the chemicals at or above the listed threshold must provide further information so that DHS can judge the security risk and assign compliance requirements.

http://www.dhs.gov/xnews/releases/pr_1193971111885.shtm

Alabama Drought Conditions Monitored
2007 is a record drought year for Alabama. Up-to-date information about drought conditions can be found on the U.S. Drought Monitor website at: http://www.drought.unl.edu/dm/DM_southeast.htm

ASCE Continuing Education Offers Webinar Series on Disaster Debris Management
A four-part web seminar series will be offered by ASCE to assist public and private sector engineers and management professionals in preparation for, and implementation of, comprehensive disaster debris management plans. http://www.asce.org/webinar/product/1005

Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring and Its Role in Enhancing Bridge Security

Proceedings of the workshop sponsored by the New York State Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and Weidlinger Associates are now available online. The workshop coveredl aspects of structural health monitoring in the bridge security arena.

http://www.tisp.org/publication/pubdetails.cfm?prmAll=1&prmRows=10&pubID=1146

RSS Feeds from DHS:
Department of Homeland Security News
Department of Homeland Security Press Releases
Department of Homeland Security Speeches
Department of Homeland Security Testimony

RSS Feeds from FirstGov.gov:
All Cyber Alert System Documents
Cyber Security Tips from US-CERT
Non-Technical Cyber Alert System Documents
Security Incidents Currently Being Reported to the US-CERT
Technical Cyber Alert System Documents

Committee News

CCI Workshop on Engineers' Involvement with Local Disasters
Presentations from the November 1, 2007 CCI sponsored workshop are now available online at: http://ciasce.asce.org/orlandopresentations.html

ASCE Memorandum of Cooperation with International Association of Emergency Managers

The ASCE Board of Direction recently approved a Memorandum of Cooperation (MOC) with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) to promote further collaboration in promoting awareness of the state of our nation’s critical infrastructure, encouraging the involvement of the engineering community in supporting emergency managers in all operational phases, and enhancing emergency management at all levels of government and private sector.

Preparedness Tip of the Month

Disasters strike, often without warning. Do you have a plan in place for “Continuity of Operations”? How quickly your company can get back to business after a terrorist attack, tornado, fire, or flood often depends on emergency planning done today. Start planning now to improve the likelihood that your company will survive and recover. DHS has developed planning tips at: http://www.ready.gov/business/plan/planning.html

Calendar of Events

December 11-12, 2007—Connecting Communities Workshop, Phillips Old Colony House, Boston, MA
December 13, 2007—The Infrastructure Security Partnership (TISP) December 2007 Breakfast Speaker Series: Stephen E. Flynn, Author and Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, DC

December 13-14, 2007—Third Annual Regional Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies Summit, sponsored by Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER), Redmond, WA

January 15-16, 2008—Connecting Communities Workshop, Henrico Training Center, Richmond, VA

January 24, 2008—TISP January 2008 Breakfast Speaker Series: Lt. General Robert L. Van Antwerp, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Commander and Chief of Engineers, Washington, DC
January 28-29, 2008—2008 Railway Security Forum and Expo, sponsored by Railway Age, Arlington, VA

February 21, 2008—TISP February 2008 Breakfast Speaker Series: Dennis R. Schrader, P.E., Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Deputy Administrator for National Preparedness, Washington, DC
March 12-14, 2008—7th Annual TISP Conference (TISP 2008): Sustainability, Outreach, and Resiliency: Linking Safety, Security, Response & Recovery, sponsored by TISP and the Society of American Military Engineers, Tempe, AZ
April 24-26 2008—First International Symposium on Transportation and Development Best Practices, sponsored by the Transportation and Development Institute of ASCE and the China Academy of Transportation Sciences, Beijing, China
July 27-30, 2008—6th National Seismic Conference on Bridges and Highways, sponsored by the Transportation Research Board (TRB), South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT), Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER), and ASCE CCI, Charleston, SC
October 12-17, 2008—14th World Conference on Earthquake Engineering, sponsored by the China Earthquake Administration, Beijing, China.

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Chair: Paul F. Mlakar, Ph.D., P.E., M.ASCE
Staff: Marla Dalton, P.E., CAE, M.ASCE and Catherine Tehan