Comments on: DHS Invites Public Comment on Infrastructure Protection http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/06/dhs_invites_public.html Secrecy News from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy Tue, 24 Nov 2009 18:23:26 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: Ken PFeiffer http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/2008/06/dhs_invites_public.html/comment-page-1#comment-1528 Ken PFeiffer Wed, 25 Jun 2008 17:51:40 +0000 http://www.fas.org/blog/secrecy/?p=1805#comment-1528 Ever since we (the U.S.) has identified the need for monitoring the security of our infrastructure and our borders, I have had a need to express a concern that I hope others have already had, but will do so on the off chance that no one has thought of it. I live in the Northwest, not far from the great waterway, the Columbia River. This waterway is controlled by numerous dams with navigation locks to provide for river-borne commerce. A considerable volume of traffic through these locks involves Container Cargo, Grain, and other bulk mass cargos. It is not a far stretch of the imagination to consider the downstream effects from one of these barges being detonated while in the navigation lock. With only a single navigation lock, because of the low head nature of the system, there would be nothing to stop the massive flow through the breach, not to mention the difficulty in repair of damage to the infrastucture itself. I would hope that the Department has fully considered the ramifications to the nature of this kind of attack. It is not inconceivable that while everyone is focused on something happening on one coast, that the next major catastrophe wouldn't occur in a more obscure fashion or location. I hope this enlightens someone to a scenario that needs considereation. The disruption to this waterway would be a major setback to the entire region. Thanks. Sincerely, Ken Pfeiffer Springfield, OR (541) 747-4656 Ever since we (the U.S.) has identified the need for monitoring the security of our infrastructure and our borders, I have had a need to express a concern that I hope others have already had, but will do so on the off chance that no one has thought of it. I live in the Northwest, not far from the great waterway, the Columbia River. This waterway is controlled by numerous dams with navigation locks to provide for river-borne commerce. A considerable volume of traffic through these locks involves Container Cargo, Grain, and other bulk mass cargos. It is not a far stretch of the imagination to consider the downstream effects from one of these barges being detonated while in the navigation lock. With only a single navigation lock, because of the low head nature of the system, there would be nothing to stop the massive flow through the breach, not to mention the difficulty in repair of damage to the infrastucture itself. I would hope that the Department has fully considered the ramifications to the nature of this kind of attack. It is not inconceivable that while everyone is focused on something happening on one coast, that the next major catastrophe wouldn’t occur in a more obscure fashion or location. I hope this enlightens someone to a scenario that needs considereation. The disruption to this waterway would be a major setback to the entire region. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Ken Pfeiffer
Springfield, OR
(541) 747-4656

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