A part of our Department has been recognized as a leader in forward-thinking technology solutions.  At yesterday’s NextGov award luncheon for technological successes in the federal government, the Federal Protective Service (FPS) won an award for its Risk Assessment and Management Program. Eight recipients were awarded among 19 Finalists and 100 Nominees.

Susan Burrill, FPS Risk Management Division Director, was honored for her work on the development of a new system that will change the way FPS protects more than 9,000 facilities nationwide.

The Risk Assessment and Management Program (RAMP), is a secure, web-enabled tool that will revolutionize the way FPS collects, stores, analyzes and shares information to manage security risks for federal facilities. RAMP also has the added benefit of replacing six individual legacy systems.

As well as a software tool, RAMP is a comprehensive program that involves software, hardware, and process improvements to multiple high profile programs. To further the RAMP initiative, Susan has overseen the design and delivery of a national-level training initiative for over 1,000 FPS personnel to learn the new system. Congratulations to FPS and Susan for a job well done.

Our priority and the founding principle of the Department of Homeland Security is preventing and disrupting terrorist attacks on America.  As President Obama makes clear in his recently announced National Security Strategy – the first since the creation of DHS to integrate homeland security and national security – our government has no greater priority than the safety and security of the American people.

Indeed, President Obama has emphasized the need to both build and integrate the capabilities upon which that security depends. Nowhere is that integration more essential than in our efforts to prevent and disrupt terrorist attacks. This mission is not ours alone – everyone has a role to play.

Every day, the men and women of DHS work directly with international, federal, state, local and tribal partners in a unified effort against the evolving threats we face. This kind of coordination is essential to meet the evolving challenges of the world in which we live – one in which the accelerated flow of ideas, goods, and people, while vital to supporting and advancing our interests, also creates security threats that are increasingly borderless and unconventional.

In my time as Secretary, I have also focused on the threats that take place here at home: domestic-based terrorism and violent extremism.  In the last few months, we have seen individuals in our country engaged in plots to kill Americans after interacting with radical individuals online or in terrorist training camps abroad.  The fact that a number of these individuals, like the Times Square bombing suspect Faisal Shahzad, are U.S. citizens makes this a uniquely dangerous challenge.

Some of these terrorists have ties to al Qaeda or other terror groups - like David Headley, who pled guilty for his role in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks, or Najibullah Zazi, who pled guilty to plotting to bomb the New York subway.  Other suspects have been online followers of Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen based in Yemen who is a self-proclaimed member of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, and who supports the use of violence against America.

Domestic terrorists or extremists can be particularly difficult to detect because they often attempt to exploit the freedoms of our open society in order to plot and carry out acts of violence. That is why we are constantly working to find new ways to counter these threats.

Currently, DHS is working with federal, state, and local law enforcement, and with a range of community groups, to better combat the threats posed by domestic-based terrorism. We do this by ensuring that law enforcement at every level has access to information and intelligence about threats so they are fully equipped to confront them on the frontlines.

The Department of Homeland Security is also working directly with communities to help them combat violent extremists that target vulnerable individuals before they are radicalized.  Just last week, the Homeland Security Advisory Committee issued a series of recommendations on implementing successful community policing practices to confront this new challenge.

This process has been aided by the active involvement of many religious, ethnic and community organizations, including leaders from the Muslim, Arab, Sikh, and South Asian communities, who have played critical roles in thwarting violence, and underscoring the enormously positive roles that these communities play in enriching our national life.

As we work together to confront the terrorist challenge, we must acknowledge that keeping our country safe demands trust and cooperation.  Terrorism is a tactic designed not just to kill, but to undermine our freedom.  We must forge strong partnerships between communities and state, local and federal law enforcement, build resilience, and maintain vigilance at all times not only to prevent acts of terrorism, but also to protect the very freedoms that make this country great.

No nation—particularly a free and open society of 300 million Americans—can prevent every single threat to its citizens.  But we will continue to do everything in our power to guard against terrorism and we will remember that America is – and always will be–a strong and a resilient country.  We will never let a violent fringe take that away.

Janet Napolitano

Cross-posted from the TSA Blog

Summertime isn’t officially here yet, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s summer as soon as the pools are open. So, in preparation for this holiday weekend and the summer travel season to come, I wanted to post some helpful travel tips. Our highly trained security officers are prepared for the increase in passenger volumes and are dedicated to ensuring safe travels. TSA will be fully staffed and prepared to address the needs of the traveling public this summer.

So lather up with your favorite suntan lotion, take your laptop out in the sun, and read all about TSA travel tips. Fruity beverages and lounge music are optional.





3-1-1 is the name for our liquid policy. You can read here for more details, but here is the gist of 3-1-1… Each passenger is allowed to take one clear quart-sized sealable bag and fill it with as many liquids in 3.4 oz or less sized containers that will fit, while still being able to seal the bag. Basically, don’t stuff it to the point where it won’t close. Make sure you take the bag out of your carry-on prior to sending it through the X-ray, or our officers will have to search your bag.

• Batteries and Devices
• Alcoholic Beverages
• Camping
• Hunting & Fishing
• Lighters and Matches
• Pets
• Photographic Equipment & Film
• Scuba Equipment
• Sporting Equipment

If you’re traveling internationally, be sure to check out U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s international travel tips.


Have a great summer!


Blogger Bob
TSA Blog Team

A few months ago, the DHS Private Sector Office started a project to gather all the training, publications, guidance, alerts, newsletters, programs, and services available to the private sector from across the department.  The idea was to centralize all this information and publish it in a catalog for our private sector partners, providing them direct lines of access to critical resources at DHS - whether they need a contact in the Intelligence and Analysis Private Sector Partnership Program, or if they just want to read the latest on this blog - the Private Sector Resources Catalog was to be a "white pages" of sorts where our partners in academia, the non-profit world, NGOs, and the business sector could find at-a-glance information on any topic or office within DHS.

The resulting product turned out to be a fantastic resource we think has value both for the intended private sector audience and for the public alike.  The catalog provides information, contact numbers and email addresses, and websites for almost every program, office, and component within DHS.  Need the 4-1-1 on the 3-1-1 liquid restrictions for passenger travel on commercial airlines, or information about TSA's Security Grant Programs?  Just visit the TSA Programs and Services section.  Want a run down of all the DHS Centers of Excellence?  Check out the Science and Technology Directorate section.  There is also an A-Z appendix of key program office and component contacts from around the department. 

We hope that our partners in the private sector and indeed the public will find this a useful resource.  President Obama and Secretary Napolitano are committed to increased transparency and public access to those serving in the public trust; the catalog is another tool that serves that purpose.

Check out the new Private Sector Resources Catalog, and leave your feedback in the comments section of the blog.

Cross-posted from the White House Blog

Ed. Note: For more information on federal response resources, volunteer opportunities, and assistance for those in affected areas visit WhiteHouse.gov/Deepwater-BP-Oil-Spill.

On Friday morning, President Obama will travel to the Louisiana Gulf Coast to assess the latest efforts to counter the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The President will join more than 22,000 people in the region, including many of the brightest scientific minds from both the public and private sector, who are working around the clock to mitigate the oil's impact. Below is the latest in the ongoing Administration-wide response provided by the Joint Information Center.
Heidi Avery is White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor

President Obama announced that he will travel to the Louisiana Gulf Coast to assess the latest efforts to counter the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The President will join more than 20,000 people in the region, including many of the brightest scientific minds from both the public and private sector, who are working around the clock to mitigate the oil’s impact.

SBA Approves $571,000 in New Economic Injury Loans for Impacted Small Businesses
The U.S. Small Business Administration has approved 15 economic injury assistance loans totaling $571,000 for small businesses in the Gulf Coast region. Additionally, the agency has granted deferments on 64 existing SBA disaster loans in the region.

SBA is offering economic injury loans and deferrals on existing loans to fishing and fishing-dependent small businesses as a result of the Deepwater BP oil spill that shut down commercial and recreational fishing waters. Additionally, homeowners in the region who have existing SBA disaster home loans can request a deferment if their business or employment has been impacted by the oil spill.

NOAA Ship is Dispatched to Deploy Special U.S. Navy Monitoring Instruments in Gulf
The NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson is underway on a mission to deploy a variety of U.S. Navy ocean monitoring instruments in the vicinity of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The floats, drifters and autonomous underwater vehicles will aid researchers in monitoring the surface and deep currents that are distributing the oil. Of particular interest is the Loop Current and its potential to spread the oil to a much wider area.

Fishing Restrictions Are Expanded; More than 77 Percent Remains Open
NOAA has extended the closed fishing area in the Gulf of Mexico to match the Louisiana state waters closure west of the current boundaries, and to incorporate an area reportedly with oil in the southwest. Closing fishing in these areas is a precautionary measure to ensure that seafood from the Gulf will remain safe for consumers.
The closed area now represents 54,096 square miles, which is slightly more than 22 percent of Gulf of Mexico federal waters. This leaves more than 77 percent of Gulf federal waters still available for fishing. The closure will be effective at 6:00 p.m. EDT. Details can be found at http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/.

Property Damage Claims Processed
The administration will continue to hold the responsible parties accountable for repairing the damage and repaying Americans who’ve suffered a financial loss. BP continues to process claims via its claims website (www.bp.com/claims) and its helpline (1-800-440-0858). BP reports that 25,227 claims have been opened, from which $29.4 million has been disbursed. No claims have been denied at this time. There are more than 432 claims adjusters on the ground. To file a claim, visit www.bp.com/claims or call BP’s helpline at 1-800-440-0858. Those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.

National Park Disaster Recovery Fund is Launched
The National Park Foundation and the National Park Service has established the National Parks Disaster Recovery Fund to help national parks recover from future natural and manmade disasters. The fund was immediately activated to begin raising funds that will be available to Gulf parks for immediate needs throughout the oil spill disaster as well as long-term monitoring of the health of damaged ecosystems.
No funds raised will be used to mitigate the liability of any responsible parties for the injuries caused by the oil spill.
Individuals wishing to support this effort may visit www.nationalparks.org, or text “PARKS” to 90999 on their mobile device to make a $10 donation. Funds raised between now and July 1, 2010, will go directly to the impacted parks in the Gulf and support critical and immediate needs as well as sustained scientific study of maintenance of impacted ecosystems. 

National Guard Activation
Secretary Gates has authorized use of Title 32 status for up to 17,500 National Guard members in four states: Alabama (3,000), Florida (2,500), Louisiana (6,000) and Mississippi (6,000). A total of 1,414 troops have been activated across the four states and are responding.

By the Numbers to Date:

• Personnel were quickly deployed and more than 20,000 are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.
• More than 1,200 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
• More than 1.8 million feet of containment boom and 990,000 feet of sorbent boom have been deployed to contain the spill—and approximately 325,000 feet of containment boom and 1 million feet of sorbent boom are available.
• Approximately 11 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered.
• Approximately 830,000 gallons of total dispersant have been deployed—700,000 on the surface and 130,000 subsea. More than 360,000 gallons are available.
• 17 staging areas are in place and ready to protect sensitive shorelines, including: Dauphin Island, Ala., Orange Beach, Ala., Theodore, Ala., Panama City, Fla., Pensacola, Fla.,  Port St. Joe, Fla., St. Marks, Fla.,  Amelia, La., Cocodrie, La., Grand Isle, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., St. Mary, La.; Venice, La., Biloxi, Miss., Pascagoula, Miss., and Pass Christian, Miss.

Guardians,

Later today, I will be relieved as Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard by Admiral Robert Papp. It has been an honor to serve as your Commandant for the past four years and I am confident in Admiral Papp's ability to lead the Service during a period of tremendous changes, challenges, and opportunities. The value of the U.S. Coast Guard has never been greater than it is today and it is the men and women of our great Service who truly make it all possible.

After the Change of Command ceremony, I will continue to serve as the National Incident Commander for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill for some period of time but I wanted to take this final opportunity to thank you for your tremendous commitment, dedication, and courage over the past four years.

When I became the Commandant in 2006, I issued a number of orders that I thought were necessary to meet the challenges we faced then and set the conditions for future success. With your help we have accomplished a great deal. We transformed our acquisition process, enhanced our marine safety capability and capacity, created a new and more effective support structure for our Reserve Forces, stood up the Force Readiness Command and Deployable Operations Group, created the Maritime Enforcement Rating, and transformed our maintenance and logistics processes. At the same time we met operational challenges in piracy off the Horn of Africa, the tsunami in America Samoa, the earthquake in Haiti, and more recently the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. We accomplished all of that without losing focus on our broader mission set. We continued to interdict drugs and made major strides to eliminate the use of self propelled semi-submersibles. We deployed wireless biometric capability to significantly reduce illegal alien migration. At the same time we saved countless lives.

In the last six years, we have also strengthened our relationships within the Department of Homeland Security. Through the completion of the first Quadrennial Homeland Security Review, we helped mature the Department and build the Nation's homeland security enterprise.

In the process we enhanced our ties to the Department of Defense. We held unprecedented staff talks with the Navy, Air Force, Marines, Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard Bureau. The Chief of Naval Operations, the Commandant of the Marine Corps and I cosigned "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" and Naval Operating Concepts. We forged stronger bonds with our interagency partners in the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Maritime Administration, Drug Enforcement Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, and the Department of the Interior. Finally, we strengthened our international ties with our hemispheric partners and through the North Pacific Coast Guard Forum and North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum. Together, we raised the visibility of Coast Guard missions to our external stakeholders and our international partners.

The common thread connecting each of these of initiatives and actions, and my overarching goal as Commandant, was for the Coast Guard to become more change-centric - to sense changes in our operational environment and have the courage to make course corrections before problems overwhelm us or we have terms dictated to us externally. To do that we must become more diverse, adapt to new technologies, and embrace social media as well. I believe we have become more change-centric and a learning organization that capitalizes on lessons learned. Nowhere has this been more evident than in our responses to the devastating earthquake in Haiti and in our leading role to the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The world has seen the value of the U.S. Coast Guard in action. We protect, defend, and save America's maritime interests wherever they are at stake - that is the legacy you have left for our future Guardians to embrace.

In spite of our operational successes, challenges remain. Our operations are not risk free and we have known the pain at the loss of shipmates from USCGC HEALY, MSST Anchorage, CG 6505, and CG 1705. Our promise to them is to prevent future accidents and insure we create the safest possible environment for our personnel. The Coast Guard will meet future challenges because of our multi-mission nature, bias for action, and the incredible talent and dedication of our people. As we look to the future, I encourage each of you to be insatiably curious, to be life-long learners, to look after your shipmates, and, finally, to seize every chance to apply your leadership skills, talent, and competencies when the opportunity presents itself.

I am incredibly proud of all our active duty members, reservists, civilians and auxiliarists. No matter how fiercely the winds of change swirl around us, our people stabilize the Service. You are America's Maritime Guardians and your country needs you now more than ever. It has been my extraordinary honor to have been your Commandant and I am excited to see where you will take the organization in the future. Fair winds.

Sincerely,
Admiral Thad W. Allen

Reposted from the U.S. Coast Guard's iCommandant blog.

Yesterday, President Obama unveiled the administration's 2010 National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS). The Strategy is a plan, a "blueprint" for reducing illicit drug use and its harmful consequences in America, recognizing that an effective national strategy must incorporate aggressive prevention and recovery programs that stand alongside law enforcement efforts to disrupt and interdict the movement and sale of illicit drugs in our country and across our borders.

The 2010 NDCS is transformative in two important ways. First, although it continues to emphasize the need for strong enforcement efforts, especially along the Southwest Border, it takes a more comprehensive and balanced approach to the drug problem. In doing so, it emphasizes the imperatives of preventing drug use and addiction and making treatment available for those who seek recovery.

Second, this new Strategy was developed through collaboration among 34 federal agencies involved in drug control, as well as policy makers, subject matter experts, and citizens. The outcome of this process is a Strategy that is results-based; it lays out key strategic objectives and details the actions government must take to achieve the desired outcomes:

• Strengthening Efforts to Prevent Drug Use in Communities;
• Seeking Early Intervention Opportunities in Health Care;
• Integrating Treatment for Substance Use Disorders into Health Care, and Expanding Support for Recovery;
• Breaking the Cycle of Drug Use, Crime, Delinquency, and Incarceration;
• Disrupting Domestic Drug Trafficking and Production;
• Strengthening International Partnerships; and
• Improving Information Systems for Analysis, Assessment, and Local Management.

The 2010 National Drug Control Strategy assigns the Department of Homeland Security a major role in the achievement of the Strategy's objectives. In accordance with the Strategy, the Department is the lead agency for improving intelligence exchange and information sharing, conducting southbound interdiction of currency and weapons, coordinating efforts to secure the Northern Border against drug-related threats, denying use of Ports of Entry (POEs) and routes of ingress and egress between POEs, disrupting counter-surveillance operations of drug trafficking organizations, and disrupting illicit drug trafficking in the Transit Zone, a roughly 42 million square-mile area where drugs move from source countries to the United States.

These responsibilities align with our ongoing initiatives in support or the National Southwest Border Counternarcotics Strategy and Implementation Plan, as well as key overarching Department operational goals.

Secretary Napolitano, Deputy Secretary Lute and I look forward to the work ahead on these issues, helping to bring a more robust and focused set of tools and actions to bear in the fight against drugs in this country.

Grayling Williams
Director of Counternarcotics Enforcement

At the request of the President, I’m in Tennessee for the second time this week to meet with local officials and assess the damage from the severe weather and subsequent flooding that swept through this state and other parts of the Southeast this week, and to ensure that all the needs of the state and local governments – as well as communities and individuals – are being met. I met with Governor Phil Bredesen and Nashville Mayor Karl Dean yesterday and reiterated our commitment to bring every federal resource to bear in response to this – as Governor Bredesen described – “unprecedented” storm. FEMA was on the ground from the beginning and is leaning forward to ensure a swift federal response to this disaster.



We’ve been engaged with the affected states since last Saturday when the rain began to fall, and currently have representatives on the ground in Tennessee, Mississippi, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Louisiana to measure the damage and provide federal assistance where needed.

On Monday night I met with Governor Bredesen of Tennessee, and on Tuesday, the Governor requested, and the President signed, a federal disaster declaration for the state, standing up federal assistance by way of temporary housing and home repair grants, loans to cover losses from uninsured property, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover. The President signed a similar declaration for Alabama the day before.

To date in Tennessee:

• 27 counties have been declared as federal disaster areas;
• Approximately 12,000 individuals have registered for FEMA assistance;
• FEMA has approved over $1.5 million in federal assistance for housing and other needs.

We’re working to make sure that every request is processed rapidly, and that individuals and business owners in the affected areas have all the information and resources they need to quickly recover from these storms.

I’ll join Secretary Napolitano tomorrow in Nashville, where we’ll meet with state and local officials and receive briefings on the coordinated federal, state, and local response efforts underway.

Individuals who live in the affected area can register for federal assistance by calling the FEMA hotline at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by visiting www.disasterassistance.gov. You can also visit the fema.gov from your mobile device for more information at http://m.fema.gov/.

Individuals should always be prepared for a disaster like this. Visit ready.gov for information to prepare for the unexpected.

Craig Fugate is the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

We just posted a Leadership Journal update from the Secretary on the federal response to the deepwater BP oil spill.

Head over to the Leadership Journal to check it out.

Cross-posted from the White House Blog

The Joint Information Center provides the latest updates from the Gulf Coast including a snapshot of the last 24 hours below.  Federal authorities, both military and civilian, continue to work onsite and around the clock to respond to and mitigate the impact of the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

A chronology of the ongoing administration-wide response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill, beginning on April 20, is available here.

Heidi Avery is White House Deputy Homeland Security Advisor


 The Ongoing Administration-Wide Response to the Deepwater BP Oil Spill

Prepared by the Joint Information Center

UPDATED May 5, 2010 7 PM
 In the Past 24 Hours:

Secretary Salazar Gulf Coast Visit

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar surveyed ongoing response efforts to combat the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, inspecting the four-story cofferdam that will attempt to capture the largest leak from the damaged wellhead; making an aerial survey of containment and cleanup efforts underway on Gulf waters; and visiting national wildlife refuges on the Louisiana and Alabama coast to assess on-the-ground efforts to protect sensitive areas.

Successful Controlled Burn

Favorable weather conditions allowed responders to conduct a successful controlled burn operation. As part of a coordinated response that combines tactics deployed above water, below water, offshore, and close to coastal areas, controlled burns efficiently remove oil from the open water in an effort to protect shoreline and wildlife.

NASA Satellite Assets

At NOAA’s request, NASA has agreed to use their ER-2 aircraft, equipped with a highly specialized scanner (the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) system) to provide NOAA high resolution images of the threatened Gulf shoreline. This will assist valuable NOAA’s damage assessment activities by forecasting spill trajectories and conducting mass balance calculations. Additionally, NASA has employed satellite instruments both to detect the extent of the entire oil spill, and to see the details of the extent of selected areas of the spill.

Additional Staging Location

A 10th staging location was established in Panama City, Fla., joining nine others in Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Pascagoula, Miss., Dauphin Island, Ala., Port Sulphur, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Port Fourchon, La., and Venice, La.

Aerial Dispersant Spray Missions
Modular Aerial Spray System (MASS) aircraft flew four missions—dispensing the same dispersant chemical being used by BP and the federal responders. These systems are capable of covering up to 250 acres per flight.

Seafood Inspection
NOAA Fisheries continues to collect seafood samples and transfer those to the National Seafood Inspection Lab.

NOAA Ocean and Marsh Imaging Flights
Two NOAA turbo-prop aircraft are positioned in Mobile, Ala. One will fly marine mammal survey missions—the second aircraft will conduct ocean imaging missions, providing valuable information about the oil thickness and density on the sea surface. A third NOAA aircraft is positioned in New Orleans and staged to conduct aerial photographic flights of marsh areas.

Ocean Exploration Mission

A NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research-sponsored mission is en route to collect seafloor and water column data from areas near the oil spill source.

National Park Service Response Website
The National Park Service created an oil spill response website, available at http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm, to update the public about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife.

By the Numbers to Date:

•  Personnel were quickly deployed and approximately 7,900 are currently responding to protect the shoreline and wildlife.
• Nearly 200 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts—in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units.
• Approximately 564,000 of feet of boom (regular and sorbent) have been deployed to contain the spill—and 1.6 million feet are available.
• More than 1.2 million gallons of an oil-water mix have been recovered. 
• More than 190,000 gallons of dispersant have been deployed. More than 55,000 gallons are available.
• Nine staging areas have been set up to protect vital shoreline in all potentially affected Gulf Coast states (Biloxi, Miss., Pensacola, Fla., Pascagoula, Miss., Dauphin Island, Ala., Port Sulphur, La., Shell Beach, La., Slidell, La., Port Fourchon, La., Venice, La.).

Resources:

• For information about the response effort, visit http://www.deepwaterhorizonresponse.com/.
• To contact the Deepwater Horizon Joint Information Center, call (985) 902-5231.
• To volunteer, or to report oiled shoreline, call (866) 448-5816. Volunteer opportunities can also be found here.
• To submit your vessel as a vessel of opportunity skimming system, or to submit alternative response technology, services, or products, call 281-366-5511.
• To report oiled wildlife, call (866) 557-1401. Messages will be checked hourly.
• For information about validated environmental air and water sampling results, visit www.epa.gov/bpspill.
• For National Park Service updates about potential park closures, resources at risk, and NPS actions to protect vital park space and wildlife, visit http://www.nps.gov/aboutus/oil-spill-response.htm.
• To file a claim, or report spill-related damage, call BP’s helpline at (800) 440-0858. A BP fact sheet with additional information is available here. For those who have already pursued the BP claims process and are not satisfied with BP’s resolution, can call the Coast Guard at (800) 280-7118.  More information about what types of damages are eligible for compensation under the Oil Pollution Act as well as guidance on procedures to seek that compensation can be found here.

I wanted to provide an update on the federal government's all-hands-on-deck response to the oil spill in the Gulf Coast from day one –coordinated every step of the way with our many state and local partners. Today, I'm traveling to Biloxi, Mississippi and Pensacola, Florida with Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to inspect response efforts first hand. Last week, I was in Louisiana with Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. And on Sunday, President Obama visited the region, meeting with local fishermen and surveying the site.

In the days and weeks ahead, the Administration will continue to do everything we can, working closely with our state and local partners, non-governmental organization's (NGO's) and others to ensure the efficient deployment and coordination of vital response assets, personnel, and equipment. Currently, more than 10,000 personnel and thousands of volunteers are responding to the spill to protect the shoreline and wildlife – and we expect that number to grow further as National Guard personnel are activated in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississippi. Nearly 270 vessels are responding on site, including skimmers, tugs, barges, and recovery vessels to assist in containment and cleanup efforts – in addition to dozens of aircraft, remotely operated vehicles, and multiple mobile offshore drilling units. We are deploying hundreds of thousands of feet of boom to protect the shoreline and using chemical dispersants and controlled burns to contain the oil at and below the sea surface. We've established 10 staging areas along the Gulf Coast with equipment and resources ready to respond and stood up three regional command centers in Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. And we've been in close communication with the state and local elected officials from the five Gulf Coast states who are on the ground and integrated into the command centers to ensure consistent coordination throughout the response.

We're also overseeing the efforts of British Petroleum, the Responsible Party, to ensure they're doing everything possible to stop the leaks and reimburse the communities, individuals and businesses impacted by the spill. To file a claim, call 1-800-440-0858 today.

I want to thank all of the dedicated men and women on the ground and at sea in the Gulf region – particularly the U.S. Coast Guard personnel – for their swift, tireless work responding to this incident. While we are facing a constantly evolving situation the public should know that the federal government – from President Obama to the Departments of Defense, Commerce, Interior, the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies, and thousands of Coast Guard personnel throughout the Gulf – is doing everything in its power to limit the spill's environmental, economic and public health impacts.

Janet Napolitano

Since the Deepwater Horizon explosion the night of April 20, federal authorities, both military and civilian, have been working onsite and around the clock to respond to and mitigate the impact of the resulting BP Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

Protective Security Advisors (PSAs) from the Office of Infrastructure Protection are hitting the pavement this week to reach out to nearly 300 individual sports league venues around the country as part of our coordinated campaign to raise awareness and enhance the safety and security of critical infrastructure within the commercial facilities sector.

We’ve asked the PSAs, who are our representatives in the field, to meet with facility security directors and owners and operators to provide them with the information and resources they need to enhance protection. These visits will serve as a foundation for stronger working relationships and future collaboration with security forces in the sports league and public assembly subsectors.

The comprehensive outreach effort is designed to get tools and resources into the field as a follow-up to the two-day conference and table-top exercise that we hosted last week in Northern Virginia. The event brought together approximately 200 members of professional sports leagues, industry associations, academia, private sports event security companies, law enforcement agencies, and other federal partners.
Participants included representatives from organizations such the National Football League, Major League Baseball, U.S. Tennis Association, National Basketball Association, National Hockey League, Indy Racing League, Major League Soccer, National Association of Stock Car Auto Racing, and the International Association of Assembly Managers.

The sports leagues/public assembly subsectors initiative is the second of a series of engagements with private sector partners within the commercial facilities sector. The first initiative was with the retail and lodging subsectors in November, 2009. Our office plans to continue these types of events in the future, focusing on the remaining commercial facilities subsectors: real estate, outdoor events, gaming, and entertainment and media, and the remaining public assembly subsector and cultural properties partners.

This collaborative engagement demonstrates the value of our public-private partnership — borne out of the Department’s National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) — and our shared commitment to secure these venues and other critical infrastructure so vital to the safety and security of the American people.

If you would like more information about the NIPP and other important critical infrastructure initiatives currently underway at DHS, please visit www.dhs.gov/criticalinfrastructure.

Todd Keil is the Assistant Secretary, Office of Infrastructure Protection