The federal government has made progress in implementing previous recommendations to improve the security of the nation’s maritime-based energy infrastructure but additional actions are necessary, according to an official with the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
The Coast Guard and FBI have implemented two of five recommendations the GAO made in 2007 and the Coast Guard is acting on a third but no action has been taken yet on two of the recommendations, Stephen Caldwell, director of Homeland Security and Justice Issues, said in his prepared remarks to the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.
The two recommendations that have been implemented include providing national level guidance by the Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection to seaports on establishing recovery protocols in the wake of an incident. The Coast Guard and FBI have also provided guidance, and conducted exercises, with local ports and their various stakeholders for integrated responses to oil spills and terrorist acts.
The Coast Guard is in the process of implementing a recommendation that it develop a plan to balance liquid natural gas security requirements with its other security responsibilities and missions. A strategy is expected to be finalized next April and will be followed by a resource allocation plan to implement the strategy, Caldwell said.
Still to be worked on include recommendations for the Secretary of Homeland Security to work with federal, state and local stakeholders to develop performance measures for emergency response capabilities that would lead to priorities for acquiring response resources and the need for the Coast Guard and FBI to coordinate on the national level on an operational plan that integrates the spill and terrorism sections of the National Response Plan.