Podcast Series: “Tom McMillen’s One on One”
Tom speaks with Gary Williams, Head Coach of University of Maryland’s Men’s College Basketball Team.
If the player does not appear, please click here to listen.
Posts Tagged ‘Homeland Security’
Chairman’s Letter 6/8/2010
Tuesday, June 8th, 2010Chairman’s Letter 5/04/2010
Tuesday, May 4th, 2010The Attempted Times Square Bombing
Like all Americans, I’ve watched with growing interest and concern the events that have unfolded before our eyes beginning on Saturday with the mysterious car parked in Times Square and leading up to the arrest of an American citizen on Monday night at JFK airport. Luckily for all of us, no one was hurt and I commend the policemen and pedestrians who acted quickly and appropriately. As Lance Orton, the street vendor who first reported the vehicle to the police rightly said about his actions, “It was simple: if you see something, say something.”
This incident underscores the need for all Americans to be vigilant in reporting suspicious activity. Although the event reminds once again how vulnerable we are to terrorist attacks, it is also demonstrates how every one of us plays a role in maintaining our security.
As I watched the media cover this event, I couldn’t help but think of that fateful day in Munich, Germany in 1972 when I was a member of the US Olympic Committee and woke up in the Olympic Village to see that terrorists had stormed the Village and taken the Israeli athletes hostage. Who would have ever thought that a platform built for sport would turn into a platform for terrorism? We can never predict when the next terrorist incident will occur. All we can do is try to be prepared, be watchful, and not hesitate to notify authorities if irregularities are observed. We may not stop all future attacks but if we are vigilant, we will deter many as we did in Times Square.
Tom McMillen
Chairman’s Letter 4/30/10
Friday, April 30th, 2010Oil Spill: A Wake Up Call on Energy
The oil spill now jeopardizing the fragile Louisiana coast is yet another example of the risks that carbon-based energy exploration and production present to our communities and the environment. The slick, which is now the size of the nation of Jamaica, will hit the Gulf Coast as early as today. Five thousand barrels of oil a day continue to pump into the Gulf of Mexico with no clear end in sight. Efforts to contain the spill are being undermined by high winds and seas. This could easily end up being the largest environmental disaster in our nation’s history.
According to the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries the spill is jeopardizing over 600 species of animals, a number of which are already at risk—whales, manatees. Soon the news will be filled with heart-wrenching photos of oil–drenched birds and dolphin. Miles and miles of beautiful beaches and coastline will be damaged.
At the same time, the spill threatens Gulf Coast communities. Especially at risk is the local Louisiana seafood industry, made up mostly of family-run businesses—fishermen and oystermen—which are still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. This spill could be the death not just of an industry but of a way of life along the Coast.
If this spill isn’t enough of a wake up call of the risks of carbon-based energy, don’t forget that just over two weeks ago a mine disaster cost the lives of 29 coal miners. As we face this massive slick on our Gulf Coast, they are still grieving in the small hamlet of Montcoal and across the Mountain State of West Virginia.
Moreover, this is to say nothing of the potential for widespread environmental harm from the long-term effects of global climate change from carbon-based fuels. While clean coal and oil, despite these tragedies, are important to assuring America’s energy independence in the future, we must not ignore the potential for nuclear power.
Environmentally sustainable nuclear energy needs to be a critical, driving component of our national energy strategy. Nuclear power produces no greenhouse gases or air pollutants. We don’t need to despoil our lands, seas or shores to explore for and produce nuclear power. And, the amount of nuclear power we generate is limited solely by the number of plants in operation. It is for these reasons that I voted in favor of expanding nuclear power generation during my time in Congress.
To be sure, we need to make our nuclear plants secure and safe—and the industry has shown a strong commitment to doing just that. Additionally, we need to ensure that the wastes produced from past and future nuclear programs are properly secured and disposed. Homeland Security Capital’s subsidiary, Safety and Ecology Corporation (SEC), is a leader in nuclear material security and disposal. SEC’s track record in nuclear material management and waste disposal demonstrates that we can ensure that the entire lifecycle of nuclear power generation can be done in an environmentally safe and sound manner.
America needs energy—we need it to power our lives, drive our economy, and light our future. However, powering our country doesn’t have to destroy our nation’s lands, seas and shores. It doesn’t mean that we have to put local communities and local jobs—ways of life that stretch back across our history—at risk. We can have a brighter future for our country, while preserving our natural riches for Americans, now and for tomorrow.
Tom McMillen
Chairman’s Letter 4/13/10
Tuesday, April 13th, 2010Securing Our World
As the Nuclear Security Summit proceeds in Washington this week, I applaud President Obama’s commitment to taking the right steps towards making America and the world a safer place by reducing the threat of nuclear weapons. Over 40 world leaders are attending the summit for the purpose of securing all vulnerable nuclear materials and preventing them from falling into the hands of terrorists.
The 2010 Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) outlines the Obama Administration’s approach to promoting the President’s agenda for reducing nuclear dangers, while also advancing broader U.S. security interests. Here’s the link to the full report:
http://www.defense.gov/npr/docs/2010 Nuclear Posture Review Report.pdf
Already, our subsidiary, SEC, is actively engaged in the effort to reduce the threat of nuclear waste and has recently been awarded significant contracts for clean up at the Oak Ridge facilities. Our experience gives me confidence that the strategy that Obama has laid out in the report can actually be accomplished in upcoming years. I expect SEC will actively contribute to efforts by this Administration to ’secure all vulnerable nuclear materials worldwide.’ In fact, while a relatively small company, SEC can be viewed as a case study for what the procedures are for securing U.S. nuclear waste and thereby making Obama’s vision of a safer environment a reality.
Tom McMillen
Chairman’s Letter 3/05/2010
Friday, March 5th, 2010A recent General Accountability Office (GAO) study pointed to the fact that the US government was not prepared to clean up in the aftermath of a terrorist’s use of a radiological dispersion device or a “dirty bomb’. The study highlighted that our efforts have been focused on responding to such an event (ie. evacuations and treatment) and have paid less attention to recovery such as cleaning up the radioactive contamination to permit people to return to their homes and businesses. The threat of a “dirty bomb’ has a significant psychological aspect as the rampant fear in the aftermath of such an attack could be worse than the attack itself. It is essential for the government to move quickly to diminish the panic and fear that could result from such an attack. That is why I have contacted several of my friends in Congress and have strongly urged that we develop, as the GAO study has recommended, a national recovery strategy as soon as possible. Our company, through our SEC subsidiary, has done extensive work in the UK and we agree with the GAO’s assessment that the UK is taking more proactive measures in developing a recovery strategy for a dirty bomb. We need to be prepared as we cannot allow another Katrina disaster to occur in this country. A dirty bomb can be managed with adequate preparation. Please join me in contacting your members of Congress on this important issue.
Link to the GAO report.
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d10204.pdf