Government Grants for All

Liberal leadership candidate Christy Clark holds town hall meeting in Abbotsford

Liberal leadership candidate Christy Clark holds town hall meeting in Abbotsford
The Abbotsford Bingo Association is rallying community groups and charitable organizations to attend a town hall meeting tonight with Liberal leadership candidate Christy Clark at the Abbey Arts Centre.
Read more on The Delta Optimist

Roanoke cooperative also offers grant money
GASTON — Roanoke Valley teachers have a chance to apply for additional monies through the Roanoke Electric Membership Corporation’s annual Bright Ideas education grant program.
Read more on Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald

Press Release
NATIONAL COUNCIL ON THE AGING INC. Posted on:16 Feb 11 WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is pleased to award grants to 10 organizations nationwide for the purpose of finding and enrolling economically vulnerable older Americans and younger adults with disabilities into public benefits programs.
Read more on PharmiWeb

Tags: Abbotsford, Candidate, Christy, Clark, Hall, Holds, Leadership, liberal, Meeting, town

The First Lady Holds a Roundtable on Health Care Reform

First Lady Michelle Obama holds a roundtable with doctors and staff from the Caroline Family Practice Community Health Center to get their thoughts on health care reform. July 27, 2009. (Public Domain)

Tags: Care, First, Health, Holds, Lady, Reform, Roundtable

Pechiney Holds Out for Higher Bid

Pechiney, the French aluminium group, yesterday held out the prospect of an agreed merger with Alcan after rejecting an improved offer from its bigger Canadian rival worth almost €4bn.

The French group’s board, meeting late on Sunday, turned down a written Alcan offer of €47-€48 (£33 to £33.50) in cash and shares while agreeing, it is understood, to all other terms of the proposed takeover – including executive posts and redundancies.

The second offer, valuing Pechiney at €3.96bn, is a 9% premium on Alcan’s initial proposal, made on July 7, of €41 a share which, with a subsequent rise in the Canadian group’s stock, is now worth closer to €44.50.

Alcan said its improved offer was conditional upon recommendation by the Pechiney board and had now lapsed, with discussions ended, and it remained confident its initial offer would still be approved.

Sources close to Pechiney said Sunday’s talks had been “highly constructive” and, for the first time, the board spoke publicly of “the potential merits of an industrial consolidation” as opposed to “a perfectly viable stand-alone strategy”.

Pechiney is now understood to be holding out for an offer closer to €55-€60. The board said the latest Alcan bid “continues to fall short of Pechiney’s true strategic value, especially in the light of the positive market trends relating to the euro/dollar exchange rate and the aluminium price”.

Industry sources said shares in the metals sector had improved 20% since early July and Pechiney’s stock, worth €34 at the time of the first Alcan bid, was now closer to €47 – matching Alcan’s revised offer. A “fair” offer would have to start at €49 before any premium.

Pechiney, which was blocked from buying the aluminium business of Anglo-Dutch steel group Corus earlier this year and still hankers after it, insists that every $100 rise in the price of aluminium is worth €110m to pre-tax earnings.

Earnings would be boosted by a further €60m if the dollar gained five cents against the euro. Equally, sources said, Alcan had failed to recognise Pechiney’s growth in the automotive and aerospace sectors.

The Canadian group, which merged with Swiss rival Algroup in 2000 after the European commission blocked a three-way merger with Pechiney, still has to win EU approval for its initial offer. It has said it will walk away if Brussels mounts a full-scale inquiry.

Tags: Higher, Holds, Pechiney

House Holds First Hearing On New Chemical Facility Security Regulations

On July 24, 2007 the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection held their first hearings on Chemical Facility Security since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final interim regulations on Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards (CFATS, 6 CFR part 27) in April. Robert B. Stephan, Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure Protection, testified about the current state of efforts DHS is taking to protect chemical facilities from terrorist attack.

Stephan updated the Subcommittee on previous voluntary efforts completed by some members of the chemical industry to update their security after the attacks of 9-11-2001. These include the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Security Code and Cyber Security Program as well as efforts by the National Association of Chemical Distributors, American Petroleum Institute, the Chlorine Institute, the Agribusiness Security Working Group, and the National Paint and Coatings Association.

He also described a wide variety of efforts that DHS is taking in coordination with other groups. Under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) the chemical industry has partnered with DHS and other government agencies to form a Chemical Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC). As part of the Chemical Sector Specific Plan, teams will have conducted Comprehensive Reviews of security issues in Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey and the Lower Delaware River areas by August of this year. Additionally, 394 chemical plants have been made eligible for grants under the Buffer Zone Protection Program. In June the first Chemical Security Summit was held with 350 industry attendees being briefed on DHS and CSCC plans and actions to date.

DHS is also working on training programs for the chemical sector. The Chemical Security Awareness Training Program, an on-line training tool for all chemical facility employees, will come on line this fall. A Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device Training Program is under development for security officers who will be responsible for checking vehicles for explosive devices.

Next Secretary Stephan updated the Subcommittee on actions that DHS has taken to date under the new CFATS regulation. On June 8th the Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT) went live for the first time and on June 11th DHS sent out notification letters to 50 known high-risk facilities that they were required to complete an initial Top Screen filing. These 50 facilities were aided by DHS inspectors so that a live trouble shoot of the system was effectively conducted.

In coordination with the Chemical SSP and the Oil and Gas SSP, additional facilities were identified for directed Top Screen Completion. To date (July 13th, 2007) 6,096 facilities have registered in the CSAT and are in some phase of Top Screen completion. These first two groups of facility registrations will serve as a learning program for DHS and the industry and provide a chance to work out the inevitable bugs in the system. Security Vulnerability Assessments (SVA) and Site Security Plans (SSP) should be in place for most of these facilities by year end.

The next phase of facility registrations will begin when the final version of Appendix A, DHS Chemicals of Interest, is published. Then, any facility that has (or plans to have) a chemical listed in the appendix at more than the published Screening Threshold Quantity (STQ) will be required to complete a Top Screen in the CSAT system.

Assistant Secretary Robert B. Stephan’s testimony provides valuable insight into the way the CSAT system is operating. The way that the system is operating at individual facility levelsw will be protected information under the Chemical Vulnerability Information (CVI) rules. This type of aggregated information will be all that the general public will ever see. It would be helpful if this subcommittee and their Senate counterparts were to hold periodic review type hearings to allow the public to keep up to date on the progress that is being made in this important area of community security.

Tags: Chemical, Facility, First, Hearing, Holds, House, Regulations, Security

America holds its breath for nine trapped miners

The scene at the minehead in Somerset county, Pennsylvania, seemed almost from another era: relatives and friends of miners waiting sombrely for news of nine men trapped 76 metres (250ft) underground. After months of preoccupation with unrealised threats of attack, the national focus was on the kind of disaster familiar to generations of mining communities all over the world.

Part of the drill being used to bore a hole to reach the men snapped yesterday after cutting through more than 30 metres of solid rock and the rescue attempt had to be halted to await the arrival of a replacement.

The nine miners, aged from 35 to 55, have been trapped since Wednesday at the Quecreek mine after they accidentally broke through the wall of an adjoining mine, precipitating a deluge of water and debris. They are trapped without food in the rising water in a space a little more than a metre high.

Faint tapping sounds heard by rescuers raised hope that the men might be reached but the rescue has proved much harder thanexpected. A small pipe has been installed to give the men oxygen.

The district, about 55 miles from Pittsburgh, has been affected. Two local McDonalds restaurants have altered their billboards from the special offers of the day to read “pray for the rescue of the miners”.

The Pennsylvanian governor, Mark Schwelker, who was at the scene with the rescuers, said he was remaining optimistic, but “We might need a little help from the Almighty”.

“This is a very tricky and dangerous situation, and I don’t want to raise expectations,” David Hess, the Pennsylvania secretary of environmental protection, said. “We still believe there are miners alive.”

There is concern about hypothermia, because of the low temperatures below ground and the fact that the men are trapped in water with only their heads in an air pocket.

Mining was revived in the area in 2000 after a steep increase in the cost of natural gas encouraged the Black Wolf Coal Company to drill close to old mines abandoned for half a century. Only 60 miners are employed.

The trapped men had not realised that they were so close to an abandoned shaft, it is reported. There was a previous accident at the mine last October when a roof caved in but there were no injuries.

The increase in fatalities in mines in the United States in the past few years has brought expressions of concern from union leaders and Democrats. There were 42 mining deaths last year, compared with 29 in 1998.

Senator Edward Kennedy has accused the Bush administration of having a “dismal” record in the enforcement of safety regulations in the mines.

The administration has proposed a 6% cut in the budget allocated to the mine safety and health administration.

The United Mine Workers of America has accused the administration of being too close to mine owners and not concerned enough about safety.

The mine is not far from where the hijacked United Airlines flight 93 plunged to the ground on September 11, a place that is now a memorial to those who died.

Tags: America, Breath, Holds, miners, Nine, trapped

House Holds First Hearing On New Chemical Facility Security Regulations

On July 24, 2007 the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection held their first hearings on Chemical Facility Security since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final interim regulations on Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards (CFATS, 6 CFR part 27) in April. Robert B. Stephan, Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure Protection, testified about the current state of efforts DHS is taking to protect chemical facilities from terrorist attack.

Stephan updated the Subcommittee on previous voluntary efforts completed by some members of the chemical industry to update their security after the attacks of 9-11-2001. These include the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Security Code and Cyber Security Program as well as efforts by the National Association of Chemical Distributors, American Petroleum Institute, the Chlorine Institute, the Agribusiness Security Working Group, and the National Paint and Coatings Association.

He also described a wide variety of efforts that DHS is taking in coordination with other groups. Under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) the chemical industry has partnered with DHS and other government agencies to form a Chemical Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC). As part of the Chemical Sector Specific Plan, teams will have conducted Comprehensive Reviews of security issues in Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey and the Lower Delaware River areas by August of this year. Additionally, 394 chemical plants have been made eligible for grants under the Buffer Zone Protection Program. In June the first Chemical Security Summit was held with 350 industry attendees being briefed on DHS and CSCC plans and actions to date.

DHS is also working on training programs for the chemical sector. The Chemical Security Awareness Training Program, an on-line training tool for all chemical facility employees, will come on line this fall. A Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device Training Program is under development for security officers who will be responsible for checking vehicles for explosive devices.

Next Secretary Stephan updated the Subcommittee on actions that DHS has taken to date under the new CFATS regulation. On June 8th the Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT) went live for the first time and on June 11th DHS sent out notification letters to 50 known high-risk facilities that they were required to complete an initial Top Screen filing. These 50 facilities were aided by DHS inspectors so that a live trouble shoot of the system was effectively conducted.

In coordination with the Chemical SSP and the Oil and Gas SSP, additional facilities were identified for directed Top Screen Completion. To date (July 13th, 2007) 6,096 facilities have registered in the CSAT and are in some phase of Top Screen completion. These first two groups of facility registrations will serve as a learning program for DHS and the industry and provide a chance to work out the inevitable bugs in the system. Security Vulnerability Assessments (SVA) and Site Security Plans (SSP) should be in place for most of these facilities by year end.

The next phase of facility registrations will begin when the final version of Appendix A, DHS Chemicals of Interest, is published. Then, any facility that has (or plans to have) a chemical listed in the appendix at more than the published Screening Threshold Quantity (STQ) will be required to complete a Top Screen in the CSAT system.

Assistant Secretary Robert B. Stephan’s testimony provides valuable insight into the way the CSAT system is operating. The way that the system is operating at individual facility levelsw will be protected information under the Chemical Vulnerability Information (CVI) rules. This type of aggregated information will be all that the general public will ever see. It would be helpful if this subcommittee and their Senate counterparts were to hold periodic review type hearings to allow the public to keep up to date on the progress that is being made in this important area of community security.

Tags: Chemical, Facility, First, Hearing, Holds, House, Regulations, Security

House Holds First Hearing On New Chemical Facility Security Regulations

On July 24, 2007 the House Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection held their first hearings on Chemical Facility Security since the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) published the final interim regulations on Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards (CFATS, 6 CFR part 27) in April. Robert B. Stephan, Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure Protection, testified about the current state of efforts DHS is taking to protect chemical facilities from terrorist attack.

Stephan updated the Subcommittee on previous voluntary efforts completed by some members of the chemical industry to update their security after the attacks of 9-11-2001. These include the American Chemistry Council’s Responsible Care Security Code and Cyber Security Program as well as efforts by the National Association of Chemical Distributors, American Petroleum Institute, the Chlorine Institute, the Agribusiness Security Working Group, and the National Paint and Coatings Association.

He also described a wide variety of efforts that DHS is taking in coordination with other groups. Under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP) the chemical industry has partnered with DHS and other government agencies to form a Chemical Sector Coordinating Council (CSCC). As part of the Chemical Sector Specific Plan, teams will have conducted Comprehensive Reviews of security issues in Detroit, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Northern New Jersey and the Lower Delaware River areas by August of this year. Additionally, 394 chemical plants have been made eligible for grants under the Buffer Zone Protection Program. In June the first Chemical Security Summit was held with 350 industry attendees being briefed on DHS and CSCC plans and actions to date.

DHS is also working on training programs for the chemical sector. The Chemical Security Awareness Training Program, an on-line training tool for all chemical facility employees, will come on line this fall. A Vehicle-Borne Improvised Explosive Device Training Program is under development for security officers who will be responsible for checking vehicles for explosive devices.

Next Secretary Stephan updated the Subcommittee on actions that DHS has taken to date under the new CFATS regulation. On June 8th the Chemical Security Assessment Tool (CSAT) went live for the first time and on June 11th DHS sent out notification letters to 50 known high-risk facilities that they were required to complete an initial Top Screen filing. These 50 facilities were aided by DHS inspectors so that a live trouble shoot of the system was effectively conducted.

In coordination with the Chemical SSP and the Oil and Gas SSP, additional facilities were identified for directed Top Screen Completion. To date (July 13th, 2007) 6,096 facilities have registered in the CSAT and are in some phase of Top Screen completion. These first two groups of facility registrations will serve as a learning program for DHS and the industry and provide a chance to work out the inevitable bugs in the system. Security Vulnerability Assessments (SVA) and Site Security Plans (SSP) should be in place for most of these facilities by year end.

The next phase of facility registrations will begin when the final version of Appendix A, DHS Chemicals of Interest, is published. Then, any facility that has (or plans to have) a chemical listed in the appendix at more than the published Screening Threshold Quantity (STQ) will be required to complete a Top Screen in the CSAT system.

Assistant Secretary Robert B. Stephan’s testimony provides valuable insight into the way the CSAT system is operating. The way that the system is operating at individual facility levelsw will be protected information under the Chemical Vulnerability Information (CVI) rules. This type of aggregated information will be all that the general public will ever see. It would be helpful if this subcommittee and their Senate counterparts were to hold periodic review type hearings to allow the public to keep up to date on the progress that is being made in this important area of community security.

Tags: Chemical, Facility, First, Hearing, Holds, House, Regulations, Security