[Federal Register Volume 73, Number 84 (Wednesday, April 30, 2008)]
[Notices]
[Pages 23476-23478]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E8-9412]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

[Docket No. DHS-2008-0038]


Designation of the National Infrastructure Protection Plan 
Critical Manufacturing Sector

AGENCY: National Protection and Programs Directorate, DHS.

ACTION: Notice and request for comments.

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SUMMARY: This notice informs the public that the Department of Homeland 
Security (DHS) has designated Critical Manufacturing as an additional 
critical infrastructure sector under the National Infrastructure 
Protection Plan (NIPP) and, as part of a comprehensive national review 
process, solicits public comment on the actions necessary to 
incorporate this sector into the NIPP framework.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted on or before May 10, 2008.

ADDRESSES: Comments must be identified by docket number DHS-2008-0038 
and may be submitted by one of the following methods:
     Federal Rulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. 
Follow the instructions for submitting comments.
     E-mail: [email protected]. Include the docket number in the 
subject line of the message.
     Facsimile: 703-235-3057.
     Mail: R. James Caverly, NPPD/IP/POD; Mail Stop 8530, 
Department of Homeland Security, 245 Murray Lane, SW., Washington, DC 
20528-8530.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: R. James Caverly, Director, 
Partnership and Outreach Division, Office of Infrastructure Protection, 
National Protection and Programs Directorate, Department of Homeland 
Security, Washington, DC 20528, 703-235-3634 or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

I. Public Participation

    DHS invites interested persons to participate in the issues 
presented in this notice by submitting written data, views, or 
arguments. Comments that will provide the most assistance to DHS in 
developing these procedures will reference specific aspects of this 
notice, explain the reason for any recommended changes necessary to 
implement the Critical Manufacturing Sector, and include data, 
information, or authority that supports such recommended change. DHS 
invites comment on the proposed amendments to the National 
Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), the organization of the 
Government Coordinating Council

[[Page 23477]]

(GCC), and designation of a Federal agency Sector Specific Agency 
(SSA).
    Instructions: All submissions received must include the agency name 
and docket number for this action. All comments received will be posted 
without change to http://www.regulations.gov, including any personal 
information provided. You may submit your comments and material by one 
of the methods specified in the ADDRESSES section. Please submit your 
comments and material by only one means to avoid the adjudication of 
duplicate submissions. If you submit comments by mail, your submission 
should be an unbound document and no larger than 8.5 by 11 inches to 
enable copying and electronic document management. If you want DHS to 
acknowledge receipt of comments by mail, include with your comments a 
self-addressed, stamped postcard that includes the docket number for 
this action. We will date your postcard and return it to you via 
regular mail.
    Docket: Background documents and comments received can be viewed at 
http://www.regulations.gov.

II. Background

    Homeland Security Presidential Directive 7 (HSPD-7) identifies 17 
sectors of critical infrastructure and key resources vital to the 
United States. The President designated these sectors as critical 
infrastructure and key resources based on the potential national impact 
of a terrorist attack on infrastructure functions, resources, and 
systems within these sectors. HSPD-7 identifies characteristics of 
Critical Infrastructure and Key Resources (CIKR) and establishes the 
policy to identify CIKR and protect them against terrorist acts that 
could:
    1. Cause catastrophic health effects or mass casualties,
    2. Impair Federal departments and agencies' abilities to perform 
essential missions or to ensure the public's health and safety,
    3. Undermine State and local government capacities to maintain 
order and to deliver minimum essential public services,
    4. Damage the private sectors' capability to ensure the orderly 
functioning of the economy and delivery of essential services,
    5. Have a negative effect on the economy through the cascading 
disruption of other critical infrastructure and key resources, or
    6. Undermine the public's morale and confidence in our national 
economic and political institutions.
    DHS announced the establishment of the Critical Infrastructure 
Partnership Advisory Council (CIPAC) by notice published in the Federal 
Register on March 24, 2006. See 71 FR 14930. CIPAC facilitates 
interaction between government officials and representatives of the 
community of owners and/or operators for each of the CIKR sectors 
defined by HSPD-7 and identified in the NIPP. The NIPP is the National 
policy framework that provides a coordinated approach to CIKR 
protection roles and responsibilities for federal, state, local, 
tribal, and private sector security partners. The NIPP sets national 
priorities, goals, and requirements for effective distribution of 
funding and resources that will help ensure that our government, 
economy, and public services continue in the event of a terrorist 
attack or other disaster.

III. Creation of the Critical Manufacturing Sector

    In addition to outlining CIKR characteristics and identifying 17 
CIKR sectors, HSPD-7 also directs DHS to ``evaluate the need for and 
coordinate the coverage of additional critical infrastructure and key 
resources categories over time, as appropriate.'' This authority is 
further provided in section 201(d)(5) of the Homeland Security Act [6 
U.S.C 121(d)(5)], which directs the Secretary of Homeland Security ``to 
develop a comprehensive national plan for securing the key resources 
and critical infrastructure of the United States.'' Consistent with 
this authority and based on an evaluation of CIKR protection summarized 
below, on March 3, 2008 DHS designated Critical Manufacturing as an 
additional sector under the NIPP.
    Today's manufacturing environment is integrated into complex, 
interdependent supply chains. Failure in any part of a supply chain can 
ripple through manufacturing systems, causing cascading economic 
impacts. Supply chains have been optimized for productivity and 
efficiency as opposed to redundancy, making them sensitive to 
disruption. Manufacturers rely heavily on information and 
communications systems, the interruption of which could degrade, 
damage, or shut down supply chain operations. Also, domestic 
manufacturers are increasingly reliant upon foreign sources of supply, 
energy, and on transcontinental transportation systems.
    The composition of the Critical Manufacturing Sector attempts to 
address the sensitivity of individual manufacturing systems and the 
role of the manufacturing industry in cross-sector operations. The 
Critical Manufacturing Sector is comprised of the manufacturing 
industry systems and operations whose failure or disruption could cause 
one or more of the following:
    1. A large number of fatalities,
    2. Significant first year national economic impact,
    3. Mass evacuations with prolonged absences of six or more months, 
or
    4. A loss of governance or mission execution that disrupts multiple 
regions or critical infrastructure sectors for more than one week 
resulting in loss of necessary services to the public.

Because of the importance of the manufacturing industry in sustaining 
cross-sector interdependencies, the Critical Manufacturing Sector also 
includes systems and operations that, if attacked or disrupted, would 
cause major interruptions to the essential functions of one or more 
other CIKR sectors and result in national-level impacts.
    Using all of the criteria above, DHS conducted a study of the 
manufacturing sector and identified four broad manufacturing industries 
which together meet the DHS definition of a CIKR sector and which will 
serve as the core of the new Critical Manufacturing sector. These 
industries, in part or in whole, are not adequately represented by the 
17 existing CIKR sectors. The following industry systems now form the 
Critical Manufacturing Sector:

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    Manufacturing industry                       Element
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1. Primary Metal Manufacturing   Iron and Steel Mills and Ferro
                                 Alloy Manufacturing.
                                 Alumina and Aluminum Production
                                 and Processing.
                                 Nonferrous Metal (except
                                 Aluminum) Production and Processing.
2. Machinery Manufacturing....   Engine, Turbine, and Power
                                 Transmission Equipment Manufacturing.
3. Electrical Equipment,         Electrical Equipment
 Appliance, and Component        Manufacturing.
 Manufacturing.
4. Transportation Equipment      Motor Vehicle Manufacturing.
 Manufacturing.
                                 Aerospace Product and Parts
                                 Manufacturing.

[[Page 23478]]

 
                                 Railroad Rolling Stock
                                 Manufacturing.
                                 Other Transportation Equipment
                                 Manufacturing.
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IV. Incorporation of the Critical Manufacturing Sector Into the NIPP 
Framework

    The NIPP framework includes a SCC within all of the sectors 
containing private sector CIKR owners and/or operators. The SCC 
includes CIKR owners and/or operators and private industry trade 
associations representative of CIKR owners and/or operators. By policy, 
SCCs are self-created and self-led entities, and DHS encourages public 
engagement in the development of the Critical Manufacturing SCC. Each 
of the sectors also has a GCC whose membership includes a lead Federal 
agency that is defined as the SSA, and all of the relevant Federal, 
State, local, Tribal, and Territorial government agencies (or their 
representative trade associations) whose mission interests also involve 
the scope of the NIPP activities for that particular sector. As 
directed and authorized by section 4.1.1 of the NIPP (National-Level 
Coordination), the Assistant Secretary, Office of Infrastructure 
Protection will assume interim leadership in supporting the development 
of an SCC and coordinating the development of a GCC, and identify an 
SSA to meet the requirements of HSPD-7 and the NIPP.
    At the conclusion of the above process, the Secretary will identify 
the GCC government agency membership and designate a Federal agency as 
the SSA. The SSA, SCC, and GCC will thereafter comprise the Critical 
Manufacturing Sector and continue to organize and coordinate in order 
to accommodate the intent of the NIPP and full integration into the 
CIKR Sector Partnership.
    As the NIPP is the primary mechanism for coordinating the coverage 
of CIKR sectors and their constituent systems and assets, DHS will 
revise its contents to include the Critical Manufacturing CIKR sector. 
As part of a comprehensive national review, DHS seeks comments on 
changes to the NIPP to reflect the addition of the Critical 
Manufacturing sector. These changes will include adding the Critical 
Manufacturing sector and its SSA to those sections of the NIPP where 
sectors and their SSAs are listed, referenced, or described. DHS will 
also amend the last sentence of the definition of ``Sector'' in the 
Glossary to read, ``The NIPP addresses the 17 CIKR sectors enumerated 
in HSPD-7 and any additional sectors created by the Secretary of 
Homeland Security pursuant to HSPD-7.''
    For purposes of review, the NIPP can be found at http://www.dhs.gov/nipp.

Robert B. Stephan,
Assistant Secretary, Office of Infrastructure Protection, Department of 
Homeland Security.
[FR Doc. E8-9412 Filed 4-29-08; 8:45 am]
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