Short Takes – 4-4-24

Concrete structures meant to protect Baltimore bridge appear unchanged for decades. NPR.org article. Changes in ship sizes require changes in protection requirements. Pull quote: “But the transportation rules don't strictly require that collision-protection structures built with older bridges be fortified or replaced. Instead, in 1991, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials set guidelines for assessing bridges to determine whether or not they should be updated.”

It’s not just clouds, there’s a new weather threat for eclipse viewers to worry about. CNN.com article. Pull quote: “Anyone stuck in post-eclipse traffic Monday afternoon or evening in northeastern Texas, southern Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and northwest Louisiana could be at risk of damaging thunderstorms.”

Budget Cuts May Lead to Hiring Freeze for U.S. EPA New Chemicals Program. 3eco.com article. Pull quote: ““We may need to slow or pause the creation of additional initiatives for standardized, sector-based approaches that speed up reviews and make them more consistent, and, depending on the final budget for the New Chemicals Division, we may need to also pause key programs such as revamping the ‘Sustainable Futures’ training program,” said Shari Barash, director of the EPA’s New Chemicals Division (NCD) of Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics (OPPT).”

Implementation of Additional Export Controls: Certain Advanced Computing Items; Supercomputer and Semiconductor End Use; Updates and Corrections; and Export Controls on Semiconductor Manufacturing Items; Corrections and Clarifications. Federal Register BIS interim final rule. Summary: “On October 25, 2023, the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) published in the Federal Register the interim final rules (IFR), “Export Controls on Semiconductor Manufacturing Items” (SME IFR) and “Implementation of Additional Export Controls: Certain Advanced Computing Items; Supercomputer and Semiconductor End Use; Updates and Corrections” (AC/S IFR). This rule corrects inadvertent errors in those rules and makes additional clarifications for the two rules.”

Radioactive Source Security and Accountability. Federal Register NRC rule withdrawal. Summary: “The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is discontinuing the rulemaking activity, “Radioactive Source Security and Accountability.” The purpose of this document is to inform members of the public that this rulemaking activity is being discontinued and to provide a brief discussion of the NRC's decision to discontinue the rulemaking. The rulemaking activity will no longer be reported in the NRC's portion of the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions (the Unified Agenda).”

NIST Wants Help Digging Out of Its NVD Backlog. DarkReading.com article. Pull quote: “"NIST NVD has been a cornerstone of vulnerability management for a long time," Das says. "However, the exponential growth in CVE issuance has created pressure which will necessitate a different and prioritized approach as mentioned in this statement. Budget cuts happening for the first time in a decade are possibly part of this issue as well, apart from the sheer volume."”