Short Takes – 5-2-25

USDOT Issues Safety Order for Upper Makefield Township Pipeline Leak. PHMSA.DOT.gov press release. Pull quote: “Consistent with the results of PHMSA’s preliminary investigation, Sunoco is required to verify the integrity of every Type A sleeve installed on the Twin Oaks Pipeline. The sleeves were used to reinforce prior repairs to the pipeline, including at the location in Upper Makefield Township where the leak occurred. Sunoco must submit to PHMSA a comprehensive plan for identifying, evaluating, and removing any Type-A sleeves whose integrity cannot be assured, as well as a technical justification for any Type-A sleeves that remain on the line and a plan to implement additional integrity management measures to minimize any risks associated with their continued use.”

Protecting Chemical Infrastructure: Navigating the Cyber-Threat Landscape. TheChemicalEngineer.com article. Pull quote: “The threats facing chemical plants are real and increasingly sophisticated. However, with the right strategies and proactive cybersecurity measures, the sector can defend itself and set a global standard for cybersecurity excellence in critical infrastructure. By embedding cybersecurity into every layer of operation – whether in legacy systems or new projects – chemical plants can build resilient infrastructures that protect against both cyber and physical risks, ensuring a secure and sustainable future.”

Polluters can now email their way out of clean air laws, courtesy of Trump. EarthJustice.org article. Pull quote: “Trump’s abuse of power relies on distorting Section 112(i)(4) of the Clean Air Act, a narrow provision never used by any president in the 55 years since its enactment. Congress meant this provision to be used only in extraordinary circumstances, where a specific facility, vital to national security, cannot meet emission standards because the necessary pollution control technology is unavailable.”

Wireless Telecommunications Bureau Announces Licensing and Coordination Procedures for the Space Launch Service. Federal Register FCC final action. Summary: “In this document, the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau (WTB or Bureau) announces licensing and frequency coordination procedures and data requirements for Space Launch Service licensees seeking Commission authorization to perform non-Federal space launch operations in the 2,025-2,110 MHz, 2,200-2,290 MHz, and 2,360-2,395 MHz bands.”

EO 14286 - Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America's Truck Drivers. Federal Register.

EO 14287 - Protecting American Communities From Criminal Aliens. Federal Register.

EO 14288 - Strengthening and Unleashing America's Law Enforcement To Pursue Criminals and Protect Innocent Citizens. Federal Register.

EO 14289 - Presidential Document Addressing Certain Tariffs on Imported Articles. Federal Register. 

Transportation Chemical Incidents – Week of 3-29-25

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 – 322 (315 highway, 6 air, 1 rail, 0 water)

• Serious incidents – 2 (2 Bulk release, 0 evacuation, 0 injury, 0 death, 0 major artery closed, 0 fire/explosion, 8 no release)

• Largest container involved – 30,200-gal NATX 301995 Railcar {Petroleum Distillates, N.O.S. or Petroleum Products, N.O.S.} Faulty bottom outlet valve and a secondary closure that was less than tool tight on railcar containing residues.

• Largest amount spilled – 200-gal Plastic IBC {Pyrethroid Pesticide, Liquid Toxic} IBC’s damaged in roll-over truck accident.

NOTE: Links above are to Form 5800.1 for the described incidents. Links are not available for these two incidents.

Most Interesting Chemical: Pyrethroid Pesticide, Liquid Toxic: Pyrethroid Pesticide, Liquid, Toxic is combustible because both the pyrethoid and the carrier solvent are combustible. It is toxic because the pyrethroid active ingredient is toxic (toxic by inhalation, ingestion, and skin absorption). Pyrethroids oxidize rapidly and become less toxic or non-toxic upon exposure to air. Some individuals are more sensitive to pyrethroid poisoning than others. (Source: CameoChemicals.NOAA.gov).

 

Review – Bills Introduced – 5-1-25

Yesterday, with the House and Senate preparing to go home for the weekend, there were 102 bills introduced. Two of those bills may receive additional coverage in this blog:

HR 3139 To amend the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 to expand coverage under such Act to public employees.

S 1549 A bill to amend the Safe Drinking Water Act to provide grants under the Drinking Water Infrastructure Risk and Resilience Program for training programs relating to protecting public water systems from and responding to cyberattacks, and for other purposes. Gallego, Ruben [Sen.-D-AZ]

Space Geek

There are two bills that I will be watching under my ‘Space Geek’ interests, but will probably not be covering in any detail in this blog:

HR 3142 To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to treat spaceports like airports for purposes of exempt facility bond rules. Dunn, Neal P. [Rep.-R-FL-2]

H Res 370 Supporting May 2 as "National Space Day" in recognition of the significant positive impact the aerospace community has and will continue to have on the United States of America.

 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118^th, as well as five bills mentioned in passing, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-5-1-25 - subscription required.

Short Takes – 5-1-25

Chemical Safety Board’s Small Budget Talisman. ChemicalProcessing.com article. Pull quote: “That last bit [saving the CSB] has been on my mind since Jan. 20, when the second Trump administration took office. I’ve contacted sources within the CSB and those who deal with the independent federal agency to ask whether they know the fate. No one has answered, and I am guessing it’s because they don’t know. And I’m not pressing this issue because I’m superstitious and don’t want to jinx things.”

Where to Spend your Next Security Dollar. WHMurray.blogspot.com blog post. Pull quote: “Document Management System - a system, process, or database to capture, track and store electronic documents such as PDFs, word processing objects, and digital images of paper-based content, providing accountability for all content, changes, and access or use.  Mandatory for intellectual assets (IP), personally identifiable information (PII), client, customer, and employee relations, or financial records; recommended for all confidential or sensitive information.”

How does nonstick cookware work, and should you switch to ‘green’ pans? CEN.ACS.org article. Pull quote: “Golovin says that “ceramic” can be a misleading marketing term. “I’ve seen pans that advertise a ceramic coating, but it’s made of PFAS attached to some ceramic material.” Manufacturers can label these products as “Teflon-free” or “PFOA-free,” but they still have PFAS. The best bet for consumers seeking PFAS-free nonstick pans is to look for the label “fluorine-free,” he says.”

NASA delays astrophysics mission call for proposals amid budget uncertainties. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “In an April 29 announcement, NASA informed the astrophysics community that it was delaying until at least April 2026 the release of the next announcement of opportunity (AO) for the next Small Explorer (SMEX) mission. That AO was expected to be released this April after NASA published a draft version in January.”

LSD analogue synthesised by swapping just two atoms less likely to cause hallucinations. ChemistryWorld.com article. Pull quote: “After conducting a series of assays in vitro and in mouse models they found that JRT was very potent and highly selective for binding serotonin receptors, specifically 5-HT2A receptors – the activation of which are key to promoting cortical neuron growth. They also found it had powerful neuroplastic effects, increasing the density of neural branching in the prefrontal cortex, and improved measures relevant to the negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia, without exacerbating hallucinations and gene expression associated with psychosis.”

Radian Aerospace unveils plans for reentry vehicle. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: ““Having something that flies sooner generates enthusiasm with the team, and we learn faster that way,” he said of working on both the Radian One prototypes and R3V in parallel. “It just gives us an opportunity to incorporate our learnings into the larger system, which should indeed be a risk reduction activity for that larger system not just from a technology standpoint but also from an integration standpoint.””

CISA Adds SonicWall Vulnerability to KEV Catalog – 5-1-25

Today CISA added an OS command injection vulnerability in the SonicWall SMA100 Appliances to their Known Exploited Vulnerabilities (KEV) catalog. SonicWall previously disclosed this vulnerability and updated their advisory on Tuesday to note that:

“During further analysis, SonicWall and trusted security partners identified that 'CVE-2023-44221 - Post Authentication OS Command Injection' vulnerability is potentially being exploited in the wild.”

The vulnerability was originally reported by Wenjie Zhong (H4lo) Webin lab of DBappSecurity. SonicWall reported in 2023 that they had a new version available that mitigated the vulnerability. There are no publicly available exploits reported at NVD.NIST.gov for the vulnerability.

CISA has directed federal agencies using SMA100 Appliances (which includes SMA 200, 210, 400, 410, 500v, according to SonicWall) to apply mitigations per vendor instructions, follow applicable BOD 22-01 guidance for cloud services, or discontinue use of the product if mitigations are unavailable. The deadline for accomplishing this has been set as May 22^nd, 2025.

Review – 2 Advisories Published – 5-1-25

Today CISA’s NCCIC-ICS published a control system security advisory for products from KUNBUS and a medical device security advisory for products from MicroDicom.

Advisories

KUNBUS Advisory - This advisory describes four vulnerabilities in the KUNBUS Revolution Pi products.

MicroDicom Advisory - This advisory describes two vulnerabilities in the MicroDicom DICOM Viewer.

 

For more information on these advisories, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/2-advisories-published-5-1-25 - subscription required.

Review - Bills Introduced – 4-30-25

Yesterday, with both the House and Senate in session, there were 80 bills introduced. Three of those bills may see additional coverage in this blog:

HR 3106 To require the Secretary of Homeland Security to conduct a collective response to a terrorism exercise that includes the management of cascading effects on critical infrastructure during times of extreme cold weather, and for other purposes. Kennedy, Timothy M. [Rep.-D-NY-26]

HR 3109 To require the Secretary of Energy to direct the National Petroleum Council to issue a report with respect to petrochemical refineries in the United States, and for other purposes. Latta, Robert E. [Rep.-R-OH-5]

HR 3113 To prohibit Federal funds from being obligated or expended to procure certain emergency response maps, direct the Secretary of Homeland Security to develop a strategy to procure and distribute certain emergency response maps, and for other purposes. Mast, Brian J. [Rep.-R-FL-21] 

For more information on these bills, including legislative history for similar bills in the 118th, as well as a brief mention of two bills in passing, see my article at CFSN Detailed Analysis - https://patrickcoyle.substack.com/p/bills-introduced-4-30-25 - subscription required.