Short Takes – 2-28-25

South Korea approves strategic plans for space. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: ““Flagship projects” for these strategies include reusable launch vehicles and orbital transfer vehicles, ultra-high-resolution satellites and very-low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellites with multi-layered orbital navigation systems, and a space observatory to be sent to the Sun-Earth L4 Lagrange point—a region of space yet to be visited—and lunar landers.”

Astroscale aced the world’s first rendezvous with a piece of space junk. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “Like most other space debris, the H-IIA rocket approached by Astroscale is uncontrolled and lacks navigation aids or inter-satellite communication links that could help another satellite safely move in for a close look. This presents a more significant technical challenge than rendezvousing with a "cooperative" object like the International Space Station.”

SpaceX gets FAA approval for Flight 8 of Starship megarocket. Space.com article. Pull quote: “"After completing the required and comprehensive safety review, the FAA determined the SpaceX Starship vehicle can return to flight operations while the investigation into the Jan. 16 Starship Flight 7 mishap remains open," the FAA's emailed statement reads.”

Lunar Trailblazer, Odin spacecraft suffering problems after IM-2 launch. Spacenews.com article. Pull quote: “Gialich said the [Odin] spacecraft was on course and would, without intervention from the ground, perform a “contingency burn” six and a half days after launch to target its asteroid destination, 2022 OB5. However, if there are even slight errors in the spacecraft’s position when compared to predictions, he said it will be very hard to track the spacecraft with high-gain antennas.”

EO 14220 - Addressing the Threat to National Security From Imports of Copper. Federal Register.

EO 14221 - Making America Healthy Again by Empowering Patients With Clear, Accurate, and Actionable Healthcare Pricing Information. Federal Register.

Review - Bills Introduced – 2-27-25

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate preparing to leave for a three-day weekend, there were 189 bills introduced. Two of those bills may receive additional attention in this blog:

HR 1709 To direct the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to submit to Congress a report examining the cybersecurity of mobile service networks, and for other purposes. Landsman, Greg [Rep.-D-OH-1]

HR 1736 To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct annual assessments on terrorism threats to the United States posed by terrorist organizations utilizing generative artificial intelligence applications, and for other purposes. Pfluger, August [Rep.-R-TX-11]

 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118th, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-2-27-25 - subscription required.

Transportation Chemical Incidents – Week of 1-25-25

Reporting Background

See this post for explanation, with the most recent update here (removed from paywall).

Data from PHMSA’s online database of transportation related chemical incidents that have been reported to the agency.

Incidents Summary

• Number of incidents – 417 (357 highway, 54 air, 6 rail, 0 water)

• Serious incidents – 3 (1 Bulk release, 1 evacuation, 0 injury, 0 death, 1 major artery closed, 4 fire/explosion, 18 no release)

• Largest container involved – 36,540-gal Truck { Nitric Acid other than Red Fuming, with more than 70 Percent Nitric Acid} Vehicle roll over. NOTE: I suspect that this should have been pounds not gallons.

• Largest amount spilled – 240-gal Plastic IBC {Bisulfites, Aqueous Solutions, N.O.S.} Forklift strike.

NOTE: Links above are to Form 5800.1 for the described incidents

Most Interesting Chemical: Fluorosilicic Acid – A colorless fuming liquid with a penetrating pungent odor. Corrosive to metals and tissue. Both the fumes and very short contact with the liquid can cause severe and painful burns. Used in water fluoridation, in hardening cement and ceramics, as a wood preservative. (Source: CameoChemicals.NOAA.gov). See my post here about an incident involving this chemical.

CSB Publishes Update for Investigation of Fatal Explosion at Givaudan Facility

Yesterday the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced that it had published an investigation update for the explosion at the Givaudan Sense Colour facility in Louisville, KY that occurred on November 12^th, 2024. That report describes the overpressure situation that led to the catastrophic failure of a reaction vessel, killing two operators and seriously injuring three other employees.

The report outlines the additional areas that the CSB is continuing to look at in their investigation:

• Testing the raw materials to identify potential reactive hazards,

• Analyzing the batch reactor relief system,

• Reviewing process data and process conditions leading to the incident,

• Further analyzing the recovered vent valve and actuator,

• Evaluating emergency response efforts, and

• Analyzing the building design

The report includes photographs of large pieces of the reaction vessel that were found in the residential area surrounding the facility. There were no reports of off-site injuries.

Short Takes – 2-27-25

Egg prices expected to rise more than 40 percent in 2025: USDA. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The bleak outlook stems from the fact that roughly 18.8 million commercial egg layers were affected by Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in January, the highest monthly total since the outbreak began in 2022, the USDA said.”

Food Price Outlook, 2025. ERS.USDA.gov report. Pull quote: “Retail egg prices increased by 13.8 percent in January 2025 after rising by 8.4 percent in December 2024. Retail egg prices continue to experience volatile month-to-month changes due to an outbreak of HPAI that began in 2022. HPAI contributes to elevated egg prices by reducing egg-layer flocks and egg production. About 18.8 million commercial egg layers were affected by HPAI in January 2025, the highest monthly total since the outbreak began in 2022. Egg prices in January 2025 were 53.0 percent higher than in January 2024 and surpassed the previous peak prices in January 2023. Egg prices are predicted to increase 41.1 percent in 2025, with a prediction interval of 15.0 to 74.9 percent.”

U.S. considers increasing egg imports amid skyrocketing prices. NewsBreak.com article (from CBS News) Pull quote: “She did not state which countries the U.S. would turn to for egg imports. Turkey plans to export 420 million eggs to the U.S. this year, according to the Egg Producers Central Union in Turkey.” 8 billion eggs produced in US in January, down from 8.33 billion the year before; 420 million in a year is lost in the rounding error.

White House says follow agency heads, not Musk, on employee directive. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) informed agency leaders on Monday that employee response to an email asking for a recap of what they accomplished last week is voluntary and that failure to do so will not be considered a resignation.”

FDA cancels meeting to update next season's flu vaccines. CBSNews.com article. Pull quote: “"Because the vaccine is grown in eggs, for the most part, it requires six months to produce. So March is six months before September, which is when these vaccines roll out," said Offit.”

Doctors report upticks in severe brain dysfunction among kids with flu. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “Between 2010 and February 8, 2025, 1,840 children died of the flu. Of those, 166 had IAE [influenza-associated encephalopathy] checked off as a complication. IAE was most prevalent in children aged 2 to 4 but affected children in all age groups under 18. More than half of the cases (54 percent) had no underlying medical conditions, and most (80 percent) were unvaccinated against the flu.

Texas-based company that made historic soft touchdown on the moon launches high-stakes lunar excursion. CNN.com article. Pull quote: “With IM-2, however, the stakes are higher. The Athena lander comes equipped with several smaller robots it will deploy as well as a drill expected to bear down into the moon’s surface, scouring for water ice.”

Review – 2 Advisories Published – 2-27-25

Today CISA’s NCCIC-ICS published a control system security advisory for products from Schneider, as well as a medical device security advisory for products from Dario Health.

Advisories

Schneider Advisory - This advisory discusses an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in the Schneider communications modules for Modicon M580 and Quantum controllers.

Dario Health Advisory - This advisory describes seven vulnerabilities in the Dario USB-C Blood Glucose Monitoring System Starter Kit Android Application, Application Database and Internet-based Server Infrastructure.

 

For more information on these advisories, including links to 3rd party advisories, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/2-advisories-published-2-27-25 - subscription required.

Review - Bills Introduced – 2-26-25

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in session, there were 88 bills introduced. Three of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog:

HR 1604 To direct the Secretary of Agriculture to periodically assess cybersecurity threats to, and vulnerabilities in, the agriculture and food critical infrastructure sector and to provide recommendations to enhance their security and resilience, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct an annual cross-sector simulation exercise relating to a food-related emergency or disruption, and for other purposes. Finstad, Brad [Rep.-R-MN-1]

HR 1636 To direct the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to take certain actions relating to security measures for radioactive materials, and for other purposes. Torres, Ritchie [Rep.-D-NY-15]

S 754 A bill to direct the Secretary of Agriculture to periodically assess cybersecurity threats to, and vulnerabilities in, the agriculture and food critical infrastructure sector and to provide recommendations to enhance their security and resilience, to require the Secretary of Agriculture to conduct an annual cross-sector simulation exercise relating to a food-related emergency or disruption, and for other purposes. Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR]

 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118th, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-2-26-25 - subscription required.

Short Takes – 2-27-25 – Space Geek Edition

Space industry hunts for ways to adapt to Trump’s trade policies. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Space business leaders said during a Feb. 25 Space Tech Expo webinar that tariffs — and threats of additional import taxes — will drive up near-term costs for satellite systems and launch vehicles. Among the concerns are higher duties on imported raw materials and electronic components critical for space hardware.”

Falcon 9 launches second Intuitive Machines lunar lander. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “The lander is carrying several commercial payloads, including the company’s own Micro Nova Hopper, a vehicle designed to hop across the lunar surface using its own propulsion system. Also on board are lunar rovers from Lunar Outpost and Japanese company Dymon Co. Ltd., a communications payload by Nokia that will test 4G/LTE communications with both the hopper and Lunar Outpost rover, a data center payload from Lonestar Data Holdings and thermal protection technologies from Columbia Sportwear.”

House hearing debates ways to improve Artemis. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Dumbacher and Pace were the only witnesses at the hearing. Foushee noted in her opening statement that NASA was invited to participate but declined. “Full transparency with Congress and the American public on an effort as important as Artemis is of the upmost importance,” she said.”

Upcoming Launch Starship's Eighth Flight Test. SpaceX.com article. Pull quote: “After completing the investigation into the loss of Starship early on its seventh flight test, several hardware and operational changes have been made to increase reliability of the upper stage. You can read the full summary of the mishap investigation here.”

Virgin Galactic to start assembly of first new spaceplane in March. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “He said the company is “moving towards solid preliminary design” of a variant of the aircraft design for high-altitude, long-endurance applications, such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. “I think that’s a super smart opportunity for us and one that we are actively paying attention to because we think this is a real potential for the government.””

Lumen Orbit changes its name to Starcloud and raises $10M for space data centers. GeekWire.com article. Pull quote: “Space-based data centers could play a key role in processing the massive amounts of imagery and other data provided by Earth observation satellites. Doing the computational heavy lifting in space would reduce the bandwidth requirements for Earth-to-ground data transmission.”

HR 494 Introduced – Extends Coverage of Cyber Scholarship Program

Last month, Rep Connolly (D,VA) introduced HR 494, a bill that would make improvements to the Federal Cyber Scholarship for Service Program. It would amend 15 USC 7442(c) to extend the time covered by the program from three years to five years of study. No new funding is provided in the legislation.

This HR 494 is essentially identical to HR 10209 that was introduced in November of last year by Connolly. That bill was introduced too late in the session for any action to have been taken.

Neither Connolly, nor his sole cosponsor {Rep Strong (R,AL)}, are members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to which this bill was assigned for consideration. This means that there is likely not to be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. I suspect that there may be some opposition to this bill because it would dilute the number of scholarships that would be issued under the program as it is unlikely that additional funding would be provided to cover the longer scholarship period. That opposition would probably not be enough to kill the bill in Committee, but may be enough to stop its consideration before the full House under the suspension of the rules process.

CSB Releases Watson Grinding Safety Video

Yesterday the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) announced that they had released a new safety video for the 2020 Watson Grinding fatal explosion and fire. The video (No Detection: Explosion at Watson Grinding) shows the events leading up to the explosion and fire that killed two employees and an off-site neighbor of the facility, and discusses the measures that the company should have taken that would have prevented the incident from occurring.

Short Takes – 2-25-25

No increase in dust explosion incidents last year, decrease in injuries. AG.Purdue.edu article. Pull quoted: “In 2024, two explosions originated from smoldering grain. Once grain is harvested, Ambrose urges people to pay close attention to the conditions the grain is kept in. Improper aeration leads to fungal growth, which causes grain and feed to smolder, increasing the risk of igniting dust in the grain bins.”

Measles alerts issued in San Antonio, New Braunfels and San Marcos as Texas outbreak spreads. TPR.org article. Pull quote: “Health officials say anyone at these public locations (areas/times visited by known infected person) during these times or up to two hours afterward should monitor for symptoms.

Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations. Federal Register CEQ interim final rule. Summary: “This interim final rule removes the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) from the Code of Federal Regulations. In addition, this interim final rule requests comments on this action and related matters to inform CEQ's decision making.” Effective Date: April 11^th, 2025.

H5N1 Demands Coordination, Not Confusion. ThinkGlobalHealth.com article. Pull quote: “Bird flu has been circulating for decades, but with an escalating frequency of outbreaks in wild birds and poultry and emerging transmission in mammals, including humans, in recent years. The current outbreak began during the Joe Biden administration, which experts criticized for its failure to intervene quickly, allowing cases to spread unchecked. The Donald Trump administration's recent decisions to ban federal health agencies from external communications, end collaboration with the World Health Organization, and accidentally fire members of the avian influenza response severely undermine public health efforts, exacerbating mistrust and confusion. These shortcomings leave the United States woefully unprepared to address outbreaks—even of familiar pathogens—and the looming possibility of a new pandemic.”

At least we're not Canadian. AlienSideBoob.Substack.com article. Australian view commentary on Trump Administration. Pull quote: “Sadly, while National Security Cabinet works through this Wagnerian grief cycle—currently somewhere between desperately searching for Greg Norman’s mobile number and stabbing each other in the neck for a last suck-of-the-box-wine bladder—the world of real things isn’t pausing to let them catch up. The Western alliance system, on which rests your great privilege to never really think about the Western alliance system, isn’t just fraying; it’s undergoing a rapid, unscheduled disassembly in real-time while we gallant little Vegemiters stand in the falling debris field trying to read the fine print on a national insurance policy to see if it covers “acts of malignant idiocy.””

Silicone wristbands for assessing personal chemical exposures: impacts of movement on chemical uptake rates. PubsRSC.org journal article. Abstract summary: “Silicone wristbands are utilized as personal passive sampling devices for exposure assessments of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs). While research demonstrates that accumulation of SVOCs on the wristbands correlates with internal dose for many different chemical classes, the mechanisms of accumulation remain poorly understood. Multiple factors such as movement of the individual lead to variable mass transfer conditions at the sampler interface. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of air flow velocity across the wristband surface on SVOC uptake rates and to evaluate if enhanced rates vary between compounds with a range physicochemical properties.”

House Republicans’ Big Open Secret: They’re Voting by ‘Proxy’ All the Time. NOTUS.org article. Pull quote: “That this is such a common practice is striking, given the situation of one current lawmaker. Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who did not comment specifically on members handing off their cards, is currently missing votes because she had a baby last week — the 14th lawmaker ever to do so while serving in Congress. (She posted on X last month that “it’s clear Congress wasn’t designed with young families and parents in mind.”)”

EO 14217 - Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy. Federal Register.

EO 14218 - Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders. Federal Register.

EO 14219 - Ensuring Lawful Governance and Implementing the President's "Department of Government Efficiency" Deregulatory Initiative. Federal Register.

CISA Announces ChemLock Security Awareness Training – 2-25-25

I got an email from CISA today (nothing special about me here, anyone can sign up for these emails here) about a new chemical security awareness training program being offered by the ChemLock folks. The email reported that:

“The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is proud to announce the new ChemLock: Security Awareness Training, which helps employees at all levels of an organization understand the risk of dangerous chemicals, their responsibility in protecting those chemicals from malicious actors, and what to do when they recognize potential threats.”

The new program (ChemLock: Security Awareness Course) comes with its own web page that provides a program overview, and the current schedule of on-line presentations. That page notes that:

“This interactive, practical, no-cost course runs approximately 1 hour in length and is appropriate for personnel at all levels of an organization regardless of their security expertise or involvement with dangerous chemicals.”

If you have a large digital TV in your training room, you might want to schedule key personnel to participate in a group training program.

NOTE: This is the ChemLock program as it currently exists, not the enhanced program that I have been advocating since the start of the year.

Review – One Advisory and One Update Published – 2-25-25

Today CISA’s NCCIC-ICS published a control system security advisory for products from Rockwell Automation. They also updated a medical device security advisory for products from Contec.

Advisories

Rockwell Advisory - This advisory describes a cleartext transmission of sensitive information vulnerability in the Rockwell PowerFlex 755 drives.

Updates

Contec Update - This update provides additional information on the Contec Health CMS8000 Patient Monitor advisory that was originally published on January 30^th, 2025.

 

For more information on these advisories, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/one-advisory-and-one-update-published-053 - subscription required.

Siemens Published Out-of-Zone Update – 2-25-25

Today Siemens published an out-of-zone update for their Teamcenter advisory that was originally published on February 11^th, 2025. The advisory notes that: “Removed fix version information as the implemented fix was insufficient - final fix being worked on for future release(s).

Review - HR 1000 Introduced – PIVOTT Act

Last month, Rep Green (R,TN) introduced HR 1000, the Providing Individuals Various Opportunities for Technical Training to Build a Skills-Based Cyber Workforce (Cyber PIVOTT) Act of 2024. The bill would require CISA to “establish education and training programs and facilitate internship and post-graduation Federal job opportunities at participating institutions”. No new funding would be authorized by this legislation.

This bill would amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 by adding a new section: §1334, CISA education and training programs and resources.

This bill is very similar to HR 9770 that was introduced by Green in September of 2024. On September 25^th, 2025. The House Homeland Security Committee held a markup hearing on September 25^th, 2024. The bill was amended and ordered to be reported favorably by a vote of 27 to 0. The report was never filed nor was an amended version of the bill published. No further action was taken.

Moving Forward

The House Homeland Security Committee will be holding a business meeting tomorrow where this bill will be considered. Based on the results when HR 9770 was considered last year, I suspect that there will be widespread, bipartisan support for the bill. Once the requisite report is published by the Committee this bill will almost certainly be taken up by the full House under the suspension of the rules process.

 

For more details about the provisions of this bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-1000-introduced - subscription required.

Short Takes – 2-24-25

The foundations of America’s prosperity are being dismantled. TechnologyReview.com article. Pull quote: “The Trump administration’s distaste for regulation will arguably be a boon in the short term for some parts of the tech industry, including crypto and AI. But the federal workers said the president’s and Musk’s undermining of basic science research will hurt American innovation in the long run. “Rather than investing in the future, you’re burning through scientific capital,” an employee at the State Department said. “You can build off the things you already know, but you’re not learning anything new. Twenty years later, you fall behind because you stopped making new discoveries.””

Guidelines for Air Monitoring Tactics for Emergency Response. OilSpillPrevention.org guide. Pull quote: “Air monitoring is important to safety, and organizing air monitoring resources quickly and effectively is important for a successful outcome—namely, preventing stakeholders involved in an accidental release of a chemical from being harmed. Managing chemical exposures requires a good understanding of the potential toxicity of the chemicals involved, as well as an effective strategy to measure exposure and to institute protective actions if warranted. The collection of quality air monitoring data is a key element to making these life-critical decisions.”

Asteroids to Power the Future? Space Mining Revolution Begins. SciMag.news article. Pull quote: “Thanks to advancements in space technologies, asteroid mining is drawing closer to reality, promising not just novel possibilities for resource extraction but also a transformation of our energy future.”

SpaceX Starship’s next test flight gets target date – Here’s when it could lift off. Teslarati.com article. Pull quote: “SpaceX has listed its launch window as starting on Wednesday, February 26, at 5:30 p.m. EST. The company will look to launch between then and on any of the various backup opportunities that will be available through Thursday, March 6.”

Earth safe from 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 'That's impact probability zero folks!' Space.com article. Pull quote: “"Asteroid 2024 YR4 has now been reassigned to Torino Scale Level Zero, the level for 'No Hazard' as additional tracking of its orbital path has reduced its possibility of intersecting the Earth to below the 1-in-1000 threshold," Binzel continued. "1-in-1000 is the threshold established for downgrading to Level 0 for any object smaller than 100 meters; YR4 has an estimated size of 164 feet (50 meters)."”

Latest Calculations Conclude Asteroid 2024 YR4 Now Poses No Significant Threat to Earth in 2032 and Beyond. NASA.gov blog post. Pull quote: “While this asteroid no longer poses a significant impact hazard to Earth, 2024 YR4 provided an invaluable opportunity for experts at NASA and its partner institutions to test planetary defense science and notification processes. The latest data on all known near-Earth asteroids that could pose an impact hazard to Earth will continue to be available at NASA’s automated Sentry page.”

A molecule is shown to produce cognitive improvement in rodents with early Alzheimer's disease. ScienceDaily.com article. Pull quote: “After testing the effect of the drug WIN55.212-2, which interacts with cannabinoid receptors, on rodents in the early stages of the disease, the team found "that they behaved in the same way as those without brain damage: they learned and remembered spatial orientation in the same way," explained Marta Moreno. "You could say that in some way the drug reversed the damage or protected the brain."”

Review – Committee Hearings – Week of 2-23-25

This week, with both the House and Senate in Washington, there is a moderately heavy hearing schedule. In the House we have two space related hearings, and a cybersecurity markup. The Senate continues to focus on confirming the Trump Administration’s nominations.

Space Hearings

On Tuesday, the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the House Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on “Full Blast: Contrasting Momentum in the Space Mining Economy to the Terrestrial Mining Regulatory Morass.”

On Wednesday the Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee will hold a hearing on “Step by Step: The Artemis Program and NASA's Path to Human Exploration of the Moon, Mars, and Beyond”.

Cybersecurity Markup

On Wednesday the House Homeland Security Committee will be holding a business meeting that will consider three pieces of legislation and their Oversight Plan for the 119^th Congress. The legislation includes HR 1000, the Cyber PIVOTT Act.

 

For more information on, and commentary on, these hearings, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/committee-hearings-week-of-2-23-25 - subscription required.

Review - ChemLock and Cybersecurity

This is part of a series of blog posts looking at the potential for the authorization of CISA’s existing ChemLock program and using it as a voluntary replacement for the now defunct Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. Other posts in this series include:

• CFATS is Dead,

• Making ChemLock Safety Act Compliant – ChemLock Program Background,

• ChemLock and Tiering,

• Reader Comment – TSDB Screening for ChemLock,

• ChemLock and TSDB Screening,

• ChemLock and Risk Based Performance Standards,

• ChemLock and Chemical-Terrorism Vulnerability Information,

• ChemLock and Information Sharing,

• ChemLock and DHS Chemicals of Interest.

NOTE: Previous articles in this series have been removed from the CFSN Detailed Analysis paywall.

The CFATS programs was one of the first federal security programs that specifically addressed cybersecurity issues, including control systems. The issue was initially addressed in regulatory risk-based performance standards (RBPS), 6 CFR 27.230(a)(8):

“(8) Cyber. Deter cyber sabotage, including by preventing unauthorized onsite or remote access to critical process controls, such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, Distributed Control Systems (DCS), Process Control Systems (PCS), Industrial Control Systems (ICS), critical business system, and other sensitive computerized systems;”

More details about what should be addressed in site security plans under RBPS 8 were outlined in the Risk-Based Performance Standard guidance document. While the guidance document was published in 2009 (and never updated), much of the cybersecurity discussion is applicable today. That document discussed nine categories of security measures that were applicable to cybersecurity:

• Security policy,

• Access control,

• Personnel security,

• Awareness and training,

• Monitoring and incident response,

• Disaster recovery and business continuity,

• System development and acquisition,

• Configuration management, and

• Audits

Moving Forward

As I noted in an earlier post the RBPS could form a valuable part of the ChemLock Safety Act program, but the Guidance Document for the RBPS needs updating, and the discussions dealing with cybersecurity probably need the most work because of the changes that have occurred in cybersecurity management since the 2009 publication of that guidance.

For more details about the cybersecurity issues that could be improved in the RBPS guidance document, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/chemlock-and-cybersecurity - subscription required.

Review – HR 477 Introduced – Commercial Hypersonic Vehicle Support

Last month Rep Fong (R,CA) introduced HR 477, the Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics (MACH) Act. This bill would authorize NASA to establish the Making Advancements in Commercial Hypersonics Program. That program would facilitate opportunities for testing of high-speed aircraft and other technologies that advance scientific research and technology development related to hypersonic aircraft. No new funding is authorized by this legislation.

Moving Forward

Fong and one of his two cosponsors {Rep Whitesides (D,CA)} are members of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee to which this bill is assigned for consideration. This means that there may be sufficient influence to see the bill considered in Committee. I suspect that (especially since there is no new funding involved) there would be sufficient bipartisan support to see this bill considered favorably in Committee. I am not sure, however, that there would be enough support to move the bill to the floor of the House under the suspension of the rules process (limited debate, no floor amendments, and a super majority required for passage). That is the only way it could move to the full House.

Commentary

I would be very surprised, given the anti-Chinese sentiment in the 119^th Congress, if the language in §2(f) were not changed to specifically prohibit Chinese involvement in this program. The simplest change would be:

“(f) Research security.— Nothing in this section authorizes the Administrator to  The Administer may not develop, implement, or execute an agreement related to technologies under this section with any entity of concern, a foreign business entity, or a foreign country of concern.

 

For more information on the provisions of this bill, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/hr-477-introduced - subscription required.

Short Takes – 2-22-25

BESS cyber physical risk. LinkedIn.com/pulse article. Pull quote: “Beyond physical degradation risks, cybersecurity threats pose an additional concern. Because lithium-ion cells are vulnerable to thermal runaway, they operate within a controlled voltage range, generally between 2.5V and 4.2V, depending on the chemistry. The BMS continuously monitors voltage balance, SoC, temperature, and current flow to prevent unsafe conditions. However, cyber threats targeting voltage and current measurements, as well as the algorithms calculating SoC and SoH, pose risks. Manipulating SoC or SoH data could lead to incorrect charging behaviors, excessive cycling, or failure to detect aging-related faults, ultimately increasing the likelihood of overheating, thermal runaway, or fire.”

Graphene Tattoos: The Future Of Continuous Health Monitoring? HackADay.com article. Pull quote: “Graphene, a single layer of carbon atoms, is key to the development of these tattoos. They are flexible, transparent, and conductive, making them ideal for bioelectronics. The tattoos are so thin and pliable that users won’t even feel them on their skin. In early tests, graphene electronic tattoos (GETs) have been used to measure bioimpedance, which correlates with blood pressure and other vital signs. The real breakthrough here, however, is the continuous, non-invasive monitoring that could enable early detection of conditions that usually go unnoticed until it’s too late.”

Exclusive: US could cut Ukraine's access to Starlink internet services over minerals, say sources. Reuters.com article. Pull quote: “Ukraine's continued access to SpaceX-owned Starlink was brought up in discussions between U.S. and Ukrainian officials after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy turned down an initial proposal from U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the sources said.”

Pen testing avionics under ED-203a. PentestPartners.com blog post. Pull quote: “But in addition to looking for known vulnerabilities, security refutation must be conducted. This starts with the premise that the system is insecure unless proven otherwise. To get the best outcome this should be conducted in as transparent a manner as possible with the pen testers having access to the design teams, documentation, source code and instrumented equipment that fully represents the avionics in normal use.”

Voltage Glitching with the Pico Glitcher and Findus. SYSS.com blog post. Pull quote: “A couple of months ago, SySS IT security expert Dr. Matthias Kesenheimer released his own open-source voltage glitching hardware device, the Pico Glitcher, together with his fault injection software library findus. Using this toolchain, it is quite easy to perform voltage glitching attacks, as I’ve recently learned myself and want to show you with an example.”

Transparent Solar Windows Could Change the Future of Sustainable Architecture. I-HLS.com article. Pull quote: “Next Energy Technologies previously showcased smaller OPV windows, which were capable of offsetting 20% to 25% of a typical commercial building’s energy usage. These windows also absorb infrared light, which helps reduce heating and cooling costs by lowering the demand for HVAC systems. The new larger window, with its high efficiency, is expected to play a critical role in transforming buildings into self-sustaining, energy-efficient structures, the company believes.”

Asteroid YR4 impact odds plummet as NASA changes threat level of 'city-killer'. LiveScience.com article. Pull quote: “On Wednesday (Feb. 19), NASA more than halved the chances to 1 in 67, or 1.5%. Now, at the time of writing on Friday (Feb. 21), the odds are at 1 in 360, or 0.28%, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies. The asteroid is also slightly more likely to hit the moon, with a lunar impact probability increasing to 1%, according to NASA's Planetary Defence blog.”

Chemical Incident Reporting – Week of 2-15-25

NOTE: See here for series background.

Detroit, MI – 2-3-25

Local News Report: Here, here, and here.

There was a nitrogen leak at a soft drink manufacturing facility. No injuries were reported, nor were any damages described.

Not CSB reportable.

SPARTA TOWNSHIP, MI – 2-5-25

Local News Report: Here, here, and here.

There was an anhydrous ammonia leak at a juice manufacturing facility; the facility, a nearby health clinic, and two local schools were evacuated. No injuries were reported, no facility damages were discussed.

Not CSB reportable.

Shreveport, LA – 2-14-25

Local News Report: Here, here, here, and here.

There was an anhydrous ammonia leak at a undescribed business. No injuries were reported. Several streets were closed.

Not CSB reportable.

Andover, KS – 2-14-25

Local News Report: Here, here, and here.

There was a fire in a storage tank at a paint processing facility. Minor injuries were reported. No estimate of damages to facility.

Not CSB reportable.

CSB Removes Older Incident Reporting Data

Earlier this week I had reported that the CSB had revamped their Incident Reporting Rule Submission Information and Data page, decluttering the page by placing much of the information in pull down blocks. One of those blocks was the CSB's Accidental Release Reporting Rule Data. Today, when I checked that block of data it only provided a link to the most recent version of the incident reporting spread sheet, instead links to each of the nearly quarterly updates that the agency had reported since May of 2022.

While the current spread sheet spans the full period of the time that the CSB has been receiving its chemical incident reports, I have previously reported (see here for example) a number of instances where incidents had been added or removed from the previous report. That information is no longer publicly available from the CSB data. I will continue to report on such additions and deletions as newer versions of the spreadsheet become available.

It looks like the old data download links still work, so here they are for posterity’s sake:

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (January 16, 2025)

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (October 23, 2024) 

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (July 23, 2024) 

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (April 19, 2024) 

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (January 25, 2024) 

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (October 1, 2023)

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (June 30, 2023) 

CLICK HERE to download the  list of reportable events (January 25, 2023)  

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (December 28, 2022

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (October 26, 2022)

CLICK HERE to download the list of reportable events (July 27, 2022)   

 

Review - Bills Introduced – 2-21-25

Yesterday, with the House meeting in pro forma session and the Senate recovering at home from Thursday’s vote-a-rama, there were 77 bills (see the discussion on Senate Resolutions below) introduced. Two of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog:

HR 1495 To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to establish a Digital Economy and Cybersecurity Board of Advisors, and for other purposes. Pfluger, August [Rep.-R-TX-11]

HR 1508 To amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to authorize a program to assess the threat, vulnerability, and consequences of terrorism or other security threats, as appropriate, to certain events, and for other purposes. Titus, Dina [Rep.-D-NV-1] 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118th, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-2-21-25 - subscription required.

Review – Public ICS Disclosures – Week of 2-15-25

It was a relatively light disclosure week, I needed that after last week. We have 12 vendor disclosures from HPE (2), Moxa (5), Philips (2), Omron, Sick (2), and Wireshark. We have 4 vendor updates from Broadcom (2) and HPE (2).

Advisories

HPE Advisory #1 - HPE published an advisory that discusses four vulnerabilities (one with publicly available exploit) in their Telco Service Orchestrator.

HPE Advisory #2 - HPE published an advisory that discusses three vulnerabilities in their Telco Service Orchestrator.

Moxa Advisory #1 - Moxa published an advisory that describes an improper validation of specified type of input vulnerability in their EDS, ICS, IKS, and SDS Switches.

Moxa Advisory #2 - Moxa published an advisory that describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in their EDS, ICS, IKS, and SDS Switches.

Moxa Advisory #3 - Moxa published an advisory that describes a missing authentication for critical function vulnerability in their ethernet switches.

Moxa Advisory #4 - Moxa published an advisory that describes an improper validation of specified type of input vulnerability in their PT Switches.

Moxa Advisory #5 - Moxa published an advisory that describes an out-of-bounds write vulnerability in their PT Switches.

Philips Advisory #1 - Philips published an advisory that discusses four Ivanti Endpoint Manager vulnerabilities.

Philips Advisory #2 - Philips published an advisory that discusses a cross-site scripting vulnerability that is listed in CISA’s Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog.

Omron Advisory - Omron published an advisory that describes an out-of-bounds read vulnerability in their CX-Programmer product.

Sick Advisories - The Sick PSIRT page lists two recent advisories for Sick products. Unfortunately, both the .pdf and JSON files are currently returning a 503, Service Unavailable, error message.

Wireshark Advisory - Wireshark published an advisory that describes an uncontrolled recursion vulnerability in their Bundle Protocol and CBOR dissector crash products.

Updates

Broadcom Update #1 - Broadcom published an update for their OpenSSH advisory that was originally published on December 9^th, 2024, and most recently updated on February 13^th, 2025.

Broadcom Update #2 - Broadcom published an update for their embedded switch SNMP commands advisory that was originally published on July 30^th, 2024.

HPE Update #1 - HPE published an update for their Telco Service Orchestrator advisory that was originally published on January 20^th, 2025.

HPE Update #2 - HPE published an update for their Telco Service Orchestrator SO, Apache Log4j advisory that was originally published on December 17^th, 2021.

 

For more information on these disclosures, including links to 3^rd party advisories, researcher reports, and exploits, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/public-ics-disclosures-week-of-2-7a6 - subscription required.

Short Takes – 2-21-25

The Texas measles outbreak: How bad could it get? EpieEllie.Substack.com article. Pull quote: “What are we looking at here? This plot shows us how the measles outbreak in Gaines County Texas could grow over the next 100 days (give or take — Day 0 is Jan 23rd). The dashed dark blue line shows us how the number of people who are susceptible to measles could change over time — we start with about 5000 people (roughly the unvaccinated population of Gaines County), and in our model this gradually reduces to only 202 people!”

Why the Texas measles outbreak was ‘inevitable’. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““And once you get that one case of measles in a vulnerable community, it spreads like wildfire. Any community with a less than 95 percent immunity rate is an outbreak waiting to happen with measles,” Yancey added. “These counties that have low immunity rates are going to have measles outbreaks. It is not a matter of if but when.”

The $100 Trillion Disruption: The Unforeseen Economic Earthquake. WildFireLabs.Substack.com article. Interesting look at 2^nd and 3^rd order effects of new weight loss drugs. Pull quote: “Look at Las Vegas. Five major casinos are redesigning their floor plans, shrinking restaurant and bar space by 35% and expanding wellness spas and medical tourism facilities. Vegas, the city built on impulse spending, is investing in the post-impulse economy.”

So many Americans died from COVID, it’s boosting Social Security to the tune of $205 billion. Fortune.com article. Pull quote: “The working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research finds that approximately 1.7 million excess deaths among Americans 25 and older occurred between 2020 and 2023 related to the pandemic. Premature deaths related to COVID mean Social Security will not make retirement payments to those individuals in the future, reducing payments by about $294 billion, the researchers found.”

Trump Plans to Impose Tariffs on Pharmaceuticals. Here's What to Know. MedPageToday.com article. Pull quote: “It depends on the type of medicine. Brand name medications from leading E.U. based manufacturers have sufficient gross margins built into their pricing, so an additional 10% or 25% tariff wouldn't necessarily get passed on to the payers (insurers) and hospitals, or to patients if it is direct pay or OTC medication. For generic pharmaceuticals made in India or China, a 25% tariff is more likely to be passed on to payers, hospitals, and patients because lower gross margins make it less feasible for manufacturers to absorb the added cost.”

Careful catalyst design boosts ethanol to hydrogen production. ChemistryWorld.com article. Pull quote: “Ribeiro, who also directs the US National Science Foundation’s Center for Innovative and Strategic Transformation of Alkane Resources, adds that bioethanol production typically requires fertiliser, which itself usually relies on ammonia, suggesting that the feedstock is unlikely to be carbon-neutral. Furthermore, even if all the world’s ethanol were devoted to this reaction, it would only meet a small fraction of global hydrogen demand while producing an excess of acetic acid far beyond current needs. ‘When it comes to truly green hydrogen, the best route is water electrolysis powered by renewable energy, which is already cost-competitive with steam methane reforming in some regions,’ he says.”

Review - Bills Introduced – 2-20-25

Yesterday, with just the Senate in session, there were 45 bills introduced. One of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog:

S 663 A bill to authorize the Secretary of Homeland Security or the Attorney General to deputize a State or local law enforcement officer to protect certain events with temporary flight restrictions, and for other purposes. Cotton, Tom [Sen.-R-AR] 

 

For more information on these bills my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-2-20-25 - subscription required.

Transportation Chemical Incidents – Week of 1-18-25

Reporting Background

See this post for explanation, with the most recent update here (removed from paywall).

Data from PHMSA’s online database of transportation related chemical incidents that have been reported to the agency.

Incidents Summary

• Number of incidents – 372 (331 highway, 38 air, 3 rail, 0 water)

• Serious incidents – 7 (4 Bulk release, 3 evacuation, 1 injury, 0 death, 2 major artery closed, 2 fire/explosion, 22 no release)

• Largest container involved – 28,028-gal DOT 111A100W1 Railcar {Acetone} Bottom outlet stem packing gland packing retainer nuts loose.

• Largest amount spilled – 355,000-gfc DOT SP-16524 Trailer {Natural Gases (with High Methane Content)} During unloading normally open fire protection system lost supply pressure due to a frozen 1/4" swagelok tube blockage from frozen oil.

NOTE: Links above are to Form 5800.1 for the described incidents.

Most Interesting Chemical: Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) – A mixture of butane, isobutane, propane, propylene, butylenes and other hydrocarbons of low molecular weight that is refined from petroleum. Maintained as a liquid under pressure. Leaking vessels can release either the liquid, which quickly vaporizes, or the gaseous mixture. The gas is heavier than air-- a flame can flash back to the source of the leak very easily. Under prolonged exposure to heat the containers may rupture violently and rocket. Used as a fuel, an aerosol propellant, in cigarette lighters, and to make other chemicals. (Source: CameoChemicals.NOAA.gov).

 

Short Takes – 2-20-25

Trump admin reverses hydropower layoffs that sparked grid stability fears. TechCrunch.com article. Pull quote: “The four power marketing administrations sell and transmit hydropower from a range of federally owned dams, including the Bonneville Dam in the Pacific Northwest and the Hoover Dam in the Southwest. These dams — and the agencies that oversee the sale and distribution of the power they produce — supply electricity to tens of millions of homes across 34 states.”

These feds took Trump’s ‘fork’ deal. Then they got fired — creating a government ‘mess.’ WashingtonPost.com article. Pull quote: ““This is obviously a case of the right hand not talking to the left hand in every possible way,” said Debra D’Agostino, a founding partner of the D.C.-based Federal Practice Group, which represents civil servants. With many supervisors left out of decisions on whom to let go, agencies are likely to have neglected to cross-reference lists of employees who took the resignation offer with lists of those on probation, she said.”

Trump moves hamper bird flu response as egg prices spike. TheHill.com article. Federal communications confusion and funding freeze part of the problem. Pull quote: “Infectious disease experts are also concerned that public health labs, which rely on federal funding, won’t be able handle any increase in testing capacity if the widespread freeze continues. They have called for greatly expanded testing to better understand the virus.”

Leaving Pluto in the dust: New Horizons probe gearing up for epic crossing of 'termination shock'. Space.com article. Pull quote: “"The data from the termination shock encounter will be a treasure trove for space physicists worldwide who are eager to understand how this vast boundary works," Brandt told Space.com. "All these discoveries from pioneering missions like Voyager and New Horizons teach us how little we know about what lies beyond, and pave the way for a future dedicated Interstellar Probe mission," he said.”

NASA lowers impact risk of 'city-killer' asteroid 2024 YR4 to 1 in 67 (phew!). Space.com article. Pull quote: “We might have to wait a while until we have more solid info on 2024 YR4's passage through the inner solar system. The asteroid is currently heading away from Earth, but it is set to swing back toward our planet in 2028, once again becoming visible to ground-based telescopes.”

Elon Musk recommends that the International Space Station be deorbited ASAP. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “It would also wreck the business plans of multiple US companies working to provide this capability (space stations in low-Earth orbit) for NASA. Moreover, it would shoulder even more responsibility for the US space enterprise onto a single company, SpaceX. This goes against NASA's long-standing policy to have multiple providers and its desire to foster a healthy ecosystem of commercial space companies.”

EO 14213 - Establishing the National Energy Dominance Council. Federal Register.

EO 14214 - Keeping Education Accessible and Ending COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates in Schools. Federal Register.

CISA Adds Palo Alto Networks Vulnerability to KEV – 2-20-25

CISA announced today that it was adding an external control of path or filename vulnerability in the Palo Alto Networks PAN-OS to the Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. The vulnerability was previously reported by Palo Alto Networks. An update to that announcement published Tuesday reported that they had “observed exploit attempts chaining CVE-2025-0108 with CVE-2024-9474 and CVE-2025-0111 on unpatched and unsecured PAN-OS web management interfaces.” Both of those other advisories had been previously added to the KEV catalog (-9474 on November 18^th, 2024, and -0108 on February 18^th, 2025).

CISA has directed federal agencies to apply “mitigations per vendor instructions or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable.” The deadline for accomplishing these actions is March 13^th, 2025.

Review – 7 Advisories and an Update Published – 2-20-25

Today CISA’s NCCIC-ICS published six control system security advisories for products from Elesta, Rapid Response Monitoring, Siemens, Carrier, and ABB (2), as well as a medical device security advisory for products from Medixant. They also updated a control system advisory for products from Mitsubishi.

Advisories

Elseta Advisory - This advisory describes an OS command injection vulnerability in the Elseta Vinci Protocol Analyzer.

Rapid Response Advisory - This advisory describes an authorization bypass through user controlled key vulnerability in the Rapid Response Monitoring My Security Account App.

Siemens Advisory - This advisory discusses a path traversal vulnerability in the Siemens SiPass integrated product.

Carrier Advisory - This advisory describes an uncontrolled search path element vulnerability in the Carrier Block Load HVAC load calculation program.

ABB Advisory #1 - This advisory describes three vulnerabilities with publicly available exploit in the ABB FLXeon Controllers.

Medixant Advisory - This advisory that describes an improper certificate validation vulnerability.

Updates

Mitsubishi Update - This update provides additional information on the CNC Series advisory that was originally published on October 17^th, 2024.

 

For more information on these advisories, including links to exploits, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/7-advisories-and-an-update-published - subscription required.

CSB Updates Incident Reporting Data Page

Yesterday, the Chemical Safety Board made some mainly cosmetic changes to their “Incident Reporting Rule Submission Information and Data” web page. Data links that previously made the page more than a little cluttered are now ‘hidden’ behind three drop down links:

• CSB's Accidental Release Reporting Rule Data

• The CSB's reporting rule form should be downloaded and submitted to report@csb.gov

• Relevant Regulations

The first provides automatic download links to each of the approximately quarterly updates of the spreadsheet uses to record chemical incidents reported to the CSB. The second provides access to the accident reporting form and instructions for it’s completion. The verbiage is wordy and potentially confusing for the second link; it should have been shortened to “The CSB's Reporting Rule Form”. And the last provides a link to a copy of the final rule for 40 CFR 1604 - Accidental Release Reporting. While a link to 40 CFR 1604 would have been easier to read, the discussion in the final rule provides more insight into what the CSB is looking for in their reporting requirements.

As far as I can tell, there has been no information lost in this changed web page, something that cannot be said for some other changes in federal agency web sites since January 20^th, 2025.

OMB Approves NEPA Regulation Removal IFR

Yesterday the OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) announced that it had approved an interim final rule from the Council on Environmental Quality on “Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations”. The IFR was submitted to OIRA on Sunday, February 16^th, 2025.

A Department of Energy website does provide some insights on this IFR. It notes that:

“On January 20, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order (E.O.) 14154, Unleashing American Energy, which directed CEQ to propose rescinding CEQ’s NEPA regulations and to provide guidance on implementing NEPA. CEQ has prepared an Interim Final Rule in response to this direction and is requesting public comments. CEQ also has issued initial guidance on implementing NEPA in response to E.O. 14154 [link added].”

An advanced copy of the proposed IFR is available. The actual IFR will probably appear in the Federal Register next week. Additionally, the DOE web site also provides a copy of a memorandum from the CEQ on “Implementation of the National Environmental Policy Act”. This document outlines the requirements for the revisions of agency implementation of NEPA under EO 14154.

Interesting side note. The USA.gov website provides two links to the CEQ; the CEQ website and the CEQ contact information. The first leads to a generic White House landing page (featuring a triumphant photo of the new President) and the second provides a generic White House contact form. This appears to be part of the ongoing effort on the Executive Branch’s updating of the public facing of the federal government.

I will probably not be providing any significant coverage of this rulemaking in this blog. I will, however, include a note on its publication in the appropriate Short Takes post.

Short Takes – 2-19-25

USDA working to rescind terminations for fired officials working on bird flu efforts. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““Although several positions supporting HPAI were notified of their terminations over the weekend, we are working to swiftly rectify the situation and rescind those letters,” the USDA said in a statement to NewsNation.”

Third avian flu spillover reported in Arizona dairy herd; raw pet food sickens Oregon cats. CIDRAP.UMN.edu report. Pull quote: “APHIS said in a February 14 statement that detection of the D1.1 genotype isn’t surprising, given its prevalence. It added that sequencing suggests that it represents a separate introduction to dairy cattle, now the third of its kind in dairy cattle. “This finding may indicate an increased risk of HPAI [highly pathogenic avian influenza] introduction into dairies through wild bird exposure,” APHIS said, urging dairy farmers to tighten biosecurity and to report cattle illnesses and unusual sick or dead wildlife to state veterinarians.”

Impact odds continue to rise for ‘city killer’ asteroid 2024 YR4. Easier to understand discussion of the odds determination process. Pull quote: “In fact, based on NASA's calculations, the most likely closest approach distance for 2024 YR4 on December 22, 2032 will be 122,539 km (compared to 120,137 km from the Feb. 7 calculations). That's a completely safe pass at about one-third of the distance to the Moon. The asteroid's farthest close-approach distance on that day is now just over 580,000, which is still over 1.5x farther than the orbit of the Moon.” Data link: Small-Body Database Lookup (2024 YR4) 

National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: National Perchloroethylene Air Emission Standards for Dry Cleaning Facilities Technology Review. Federal Register EPA effective date change.

EO 14212 - Establishing the President's Make America Healthy Again Commission. Federal Register.