Military reluctance towards the report implementation
Military branches have shown reluctance due the feasibility of the report DSB proposed for implementations. The report is very illustrative on the solutions but there are the loopholes the report possesses. Historically the military have trained for the incidents where there is an immediate response to the crisis at hand. The implementation of the report means new methods of the tackling shortages of energy supplies among others. Most of the military equipment is old. The systems that were made earlier are old but still used in the running of the business of the military.
The military is overwhelmed by budgetary problems, hindered by frayed equipment, faced with increasing workforce costs, and increase thin in short- and long-term requirements that span the globe (Wisnieski & Samples 2007). The report brings the dealing process alterations that will recover force efficacy, reduce mission risk ensuing from high fuel and logistics requirements, and, by privileged concurrence, aid in mending financial planning in the implementation of energy measure for operational classification. Fuel efficacy has not been fully incorporated into the designs of DOD war combating systems. In fact, competence is rarely considered since all legacy systems were vital, deliberate, and prevailed on the assumption that fuel logistics was free and invulnerable. Therefore, saved fuel was priced at typically one or two orders of a scale below its exact cost conveyed to the platform in the theater in the period of war. In addition to the military functions is the ability to deliver a functional station that is combative in the crisis setup (Rabkin 2004).
Assessments that generate energy demands are dissipated directorially a thwart in the department and throughout the Services. The military sees there is no coalesced vision on the approach, metrics or governance of the energy in its portfolio. The data gathered by the DSB on energy is not sufficient to establish a baseline in establishing management decisions. Since it is a matter of security, the military is reluctant to implement the report for the for the limited access to facilities, non tactical fleet vehicles, purchase of renewable energy from utilities or the buying of new commercial products. Key military involvement in regions of war is critical followed in each aspect by a very complicated post-conflict phase. The fashioning of exceptional demands on already undermanned and under equipped PSYOP forces will cripple the advances of the forces in the areas of friction. The crises in Haiti and Liberia are very delicate following the reports proposition on the military fronts therefore the military is not ready to implement immediately (Anthes 2006).
The single tone that is authoritative for the military now is to correct the high suitability failure rate in and ensure the programs formulated are to implement a viable function that forms the start of the evolution of their tasks more productive. The training and logistics support is different and the restructuring of the routines of the army means disruptions for the protection of the nation. The army disruptions for a change up plan are very different from other bodies of the government for they need back up before adopting any systems that is now in the running of the government and global security. Firstly, the military need to have the suitability of the plans in relation to the management of the security and peace globally. The decision that the military take always affects the greater world and therefore they need to check up on all the loopholes and strengths before making the reports viable for implementation (Anthes 2006). Very small mistakes would make the military vulnerable hence; elimination of the mistakes would be the first agenda before any arrangements are implemented. Their current budgets are binding owning to the slow transitions on their projects (Fukunaga 2006). Therefore, the army is very reluctant in the implementation for they are not sure of the feasibility of the report that is reviewed. On the other hand, lack of enough capital is a factor that has also increased their reluctance towards the new propositions.
Fracking
"Fracking" being the latest technology for the mining of gas and oil has struck more debate on the health, environmental and economic perspective about its security. Advancements in hydraulic fracturing “fracking” have been instrumental in the explosion in domestic oil and gas expansion in current years. Fracking is a method in which large volumes of sand, water (or related substance), and chemicals are injected into the ground at an exceptionally high force to break up rocks enclosing the oil and gas to free the reserve. It is necessary that the community, health and safety experts, get a full access to the data on the components of hydraulic fracturing fluids, wastes, and the particulars of how and where fracturing was executed.
Frequently fracking takes place in close propinquity to homes, schools, and workplaces. Yet, exclusive of necessities for disclosure, members of the societies in which it ensues have little right to information about the events or elements involved (Graves 2012). Many of the materials used in the fracking procedure are contaminated. For instance, formaldehyde, are known carcinogens. There are important risks linked with the release of hazardous substances used in fracking. Blowouts have transpired in fracking processes and spills of fracking fluids and other chemicals have polluted streams and lakes. Fracking is an alleged reason for groundwater contamination. Standard reports tie fracking pollution with medically confirmed wellbeing impact on animals, which include diseases, death, and birth defects of the second-generation. The contaminants of the fracking process have been found to be very harmful to the welfare of the human spirit.
Wastewater from fracking
The water that is waste from the process is of tremendous amounts, which are equivalent 2 percent of the water used for agriculture in the state. The problem of what to do with this waste derivative is increasing as the volume of wastewater persists to raise fast with the development of fracking in the Marcellus shale structure and nationwide. It is estimated that the quantity of wastewater formed precisely to drill the perpendicular shaft of each well for Marcellus shale in Pennsylvania is about 80,000 gallons of contaminated water.
The supplementary quantity of water necessary for a particular hydro-fracking experience is as much as 3.8 million gallons per well while others have predicted more considering the depth and the duration of the laterals underground. In some instances, the wells are fracked more than one time by the mining professionals meaning the increase of the wastewater is more dominant in the mining process. This wastewater is very harmful to the environment and the health of the people who live near the mines. According to the research done the water comes with a radioactive measure of 267 higher than the limit of discharge in into the environment. Moreover, the waste is more when the well starts to produce. The brine that is separated from the gas is more radioactive which is as high as 14,500pCi/L in capacity. These radioactive measures are very neat in that they can make the people have the deformed births. Underground contaminations are very destructive on the future sources of water in the country. The process is very destructive both environmentally and health wise.
Solid waste from the mines
The amount of the solid waste is equally substantial in the amounts a single well can produce in the event of mining the gas. These estimates are 4000 cubic feet of radioactive solid waste that needs to be disposed safely away from the human beings. In most cases, the solid waste is disposed in the municipal landfills. This waste is disposed into other places when there is no space. The current situation of the waste is that it is disposed mainly in Ohio making the state have an influx in the waste situation (Craig 2013). With the trends, the mining is showing there will be very many side effects on the environment and health of the citizens of the state. The gas transportation system is under construction and the people are afraid that is an additional hazard to the masses. Without an immediate solution to the problem, the government will face another crisis that it created in the pursuit of helping its citizen.
Other wastes
Non-water-related influences of wastewater managing with limited exceptions. Such impacts comprise of air emissions from open wastewater storage space pits and transport used to tow wastewater, noise and traffic impacts from those trucks, earth pollution, land trouble impacts from the building of wastewater managing amenities, and power demand connected with wastewater management processes. Impacts of leakages for the duration of the off-site transportation of wastewater will create the exposure to hard metals that are harmful to human beings. Such spills may be consequent from accidents, from insufficient organization or preparation, or from illegitimate clearance. Many spills have occurred violating the environmental code making the results of the health and Eco salvaging violations in the process. The emission in the air makes the air for the people at the disposing plants more vulnerable to cancers of the lung from inhaling heavy harmful metals (Keegan 2010). The water is likely to contaminate the underground water making it difficult for the consumption of the water for the masses.
Recommendations
Strict measures should be put in place for the mining companies to secure the waste is not harmful to the environment. This means that the companies doing the exploitation need to find ways to better their disposal plans in order to reach the people surrounding the mines more comfortable living without any fear of infections that may never find a cure. On the other hand, the water that has undergone treatment should be examined for the levels of radioactive components in it before release to the drinking water reservoirs. Penalties should be drawn towards the companies that endanger the lives of the citizens and the environment. These fellowships will be violating the confidence of the government and the people for they trust them to deliver good work. They should enjoy their profits if the public is unharmed from harmful substances obtained during excavation. For supervision of the water formed during the mining of natural gas from alternative structure, reduction of forming water production. Recycling and reuse inside operation, management, clearance, and favorably reuse outside of functions.
The advantageous reuse of oil and gas brines has reputation in many states that mine the gas and oil. For low-TDS formed water, a quantity of valuable reuses have been examined, plus livestock watering, hydroponic vegetable, aquaculture and nature watering and environment culture, irrigation of crops, cleaning of equipment, and fire control. None of these reuses is suitable to created water from highly briny structure like the Marcellus Shale.
Cyber attacks on energy sector
The electric power industry is one of the mainly essential state infrastructure sectors. It encompasses susceptible prospective target and triggers the smooth functions of all other infrastructures. Regardless of general backup and stability of operations funds and procedures, if the energy sector were to suffer continued outages, communications could be critically disrupted, trains could stop operations, planes could be beaten, and the economy could slow stop. Unlike other energy supply, electricity cannot be collected, so power interference would have almost immediate effects. The energy industry is facing more cyber threats from the internet and criminal groups who want to override the systems in the energy industry. With the new integrations with IT by the energy, industry there is the vulnerability in the systems they use in their daily jobs (Barclay 2012).
Vulnerabilities
The energy sector has always attracted the security vulnerabilities. This is because the industry has introduced the new networking technology that changes the landscape of the industry’s security. Deregulation and structural change in the industry makes the management have more vulnerable spots for the attackers to get through. The unveiling of the evermore energy management and control systems online has earned the industry further susceptible to cyber threats through the new links in the corporate networks. The result of the adaptations of the energy industry was the supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) the energy management systems which are the controls of the energy transmission and delivery of the power to the state (Rush et al 2006). There are systems that make the sector more vulnerable to cyber attack the arrangements are a good example of the vulnerable loopholes the energy industry’s vulnerable spots. Some operator has established effective safety measures to address weak spots in IT systems that relate to direct systems, but technologies are not accessible to protect the control systems themselves. Control system contact procedures also continue to show vulnerability.
Exposures and threats evidently do exist. The factual complexity understands what costs could develop from and hit against control systems in the energy sector. No perfect answer is probable at hand. The occurrence of accidents and errors can be the causes of the little local outages, provincial or disruptions in a relatively easy fashion. Attackers can succeed in taking out several RTUs or even attacking SCADA systems like before in the substation or even the other locations to achieve but will have a small impact on the through the attack of the power plants. This will not be heavy on the power grid although interruptions will still be detected. As a whole, the attacker may cause physical damage to hardware. The power plants are not designed to have the detectors of the intruders or rather firewalls to detect the attacks from outsiders. Cyber intruders would manipulate the systems and procedures excluding early salvaging of the plant system. Consequently, a Trojan can be a malware that can be installed and this could be very detrimental to the travails of the recovery of the plant.
Examples of vulnerable areas
Substations and power plants are predominantly vulnerable to cyber attacks since automated checking and management devices in power plants, communication and circulation substations are inadequately cosseted. The power plant or substation employees frequently allow isolated admission to these systems. RTUs and IEDs at substation work as automated, distantly programmable, switches, breakers, relays, and transformer tap alters (Patel et al, 2009). Vulnerabilities may perhaps affect in switches or relays being altered, rejection of service to these gadgets or even physical damage to hardware. Unlawful admittance to power plant control systems could result in changes to valves, motors, or pumps, potentially causing significant harm to the plant or regulatory acquiescence issues. Poor verification and access control measures for remote contact for administration and control systems is an additional problem, particularly as preservation of EMS and control systems is progressively more outsourced. Some of the systems utilize default retailer passwords that are sometimes embedded to the machines or have no extra safety measures in place. Passwords are commonly a difficulty (Nong et al 2006). Too regularly, weak passwords or “one for all” password is used for a variety of control systems in use in a substation or plant. Additionally control systems pass codes are occasionally stored with tiny or no safety measures on the commercial network.
References
Graves, J. H. (2012). Fracking: America's alternative energy revolution.
Keegan, T. (2010). Controversy rages in hydro-fracking debate. Hudson Valley Business Journal, 21(26), 2.
Craig, R. (2013). Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking), Federalism, and the Water-Energy Nexus. Idaho Law Review, 49(2), 241-264.
Palliser, J. (2012). Fracking fury. Science Scope, 35(7), 20-24.
Keegan, T. (2010). Hydro-fracking gets EPA hearing in New York. (cover story). Hudson Valley Business Journal, 21(38), 1.
Anthes, G. (2006). DOD Report to Detail Dangers of Foreign Software. (cover story). Computerworld, 40(48), 1-41.
Wisnieski, M., & Samples, C. (2007). Constructing a Dry Support Bridge. Engineer, 37(3), 30- 31.
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Fukunaga, Y. (2006). Securing Compliance through the WTO Dispute Settlement System: Implementation of DSB Recommendations. Journal Of International Economic Law, 9(2), 383-426.
Rabkin, N. J. (2004). Homeland Security: Observations on the National Strategies Related to Terrorism: GAO-04-1075T. GAO Reports, 1.
Shea, D. A. (2003). Critical Infrastructure: Control Systems and the Terrorist Threat: RL31534. Congressional Research Service: Report, 1.
Barclay, R. A. (2012). Regulatory economics: US energy industry considered enormously vulnerable to cyber attack. Natural Gas & Electricity, 28(12), 3
Nong, Y., Giordano, J., & Feldman, J. (2001). A PROCESS CONTROL APPROACH TO CYBER ATTACK DETECTION.Communications Of The ACM, 44(8), 76-82.
Rush, W. F., & Kinast, J. A. (2003). Here's What You Need To Know To Protect SCADA Systems From Cyber-Attack. Pipeline & Gas Journal, 230(2), 29.
Rush, W. F., Kinast, J. A., & Shah, A. B. (2006). AGA 12 Recommends How To Protect SCADA Communications From Cyber Attack. (cover story). Pipeline & Gas Journal, 233(11), 40-45.
Patel, S. C., Bhatt, G. D., & Graham, J. H. (2009). Improving The Cyber Security of Scada Communication Networks.Communications Of The ACM, 52(7), 139-142.
