4 nations urge US gas exports amid Ukraine crisis

WASHINGTON — Four Central European nations are urging the United States to boost natural gas exports to Europe as a hedge against the possibility that Russia could cut off its supply of gas to Ukraine.

Ambassadors from Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic made their appeal Friday in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. A similar letter was expected to be sent to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

The letter from the four nations, known as the Visegrad Group, asks for Congress to support speedier approval of natural gas exports, noting that the "presence of U.S. natural gas would be much welcome in Central and Eastern Europe."

The ambassadors warn that the unrest in Ukraine has brought back Cold War memories and that energy security threatens the region's residents on a daily basis.

"Gas-to-gas competition in our region is a vital aspect of national security and a key U.S. interest in the region," the ambassadors wrote in a letter obtained by The Associated Press.

Ukraine is heavily dependent on Russian natural gas, and previous disputes between Ukraine and Russia have led to gas supply cuts. Russian state gas company Gazprom has increased the pressure on Ukraine's new government, which now owes $1.89 billion for Russian natural gas, by warning that if Ukraine doesn't pay off its debt, there could be a repeat of 2009, when Russia cut off supplies to Europe because of a pricing dispute with Ukraine.

Recent advancements have made it possible for gas that normally flows through Ukraine to the EU to instead flow the other direction, so that nations like Poland and Hungary can supply gas to Ukraine if Russia were to cut off its supply. But with gas supplies limited, the region is still vulnerable unless the U.S. makes it easier to import American natural gas, the ambassadors argued.

Boehner and Republicans have been urging the Obama administration to clear the way for more exports amid a natural gas boom in the U.S. The Energy Department has only approved six export licenses in recent years out of about two dozen pending.

In a statement Saturday, Boehner called on Obama to "heed this call from our allies" and "do everything possible to use American energy to reduce the dependency on Russia for our friends in Europe and around the globe."

"I hope President Obama will heed this call from our allies to use his 'pen and phone' to direct the Secretary of Energy to immediately approve pending natural gas export requests and do everything possible to use American energy to reduce the dependency on Russia for our friends in Europe and around the globe."

The White House has argued that Russia's dependence on gas revenues makes it unlikely that the country will cut off supplies to Europe despite the ongoing crisis in the Ukrainian region of Crimea, where the Russian military has intervened in what the U.S. regards as a violation of international law.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday that because Europe has had a relatively mild winter, gas supplies are at or above normal levels. He said even if the U.S. did approve more export licenses, it would take until the end of 2015 for gas to be delivered.

"Proposals to try to respond to the situation in Ukraine that are related to our policy on exporting natural gas would not have an immediate effect," Earnest said.

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Reach Josh Lederman at http://twitter.com/joshledermanAP

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Austin tech firm had 20 employees on missing plane

AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin, Texas, technology company says 20 of its employees were aboard the Malaysia Airlines plane that went missing over the South China Sea.

Jacey Zuniga, a spokeswoman for Freescale Semiconductor, says 12 Malaysian and 8 Chinese employees are "confirmed passengers." She says no American citizen Freescale employees were on the flight.

"At present, we are solely focused on our employees and their families," Gregg Lowe, president and CEO of Freescale says in a statement. "Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by this tragic event." The company, the statement reads, has assembled a team of counselors for those impacted by the tragedy.

Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 airplane, was last seen on radar at 1:30 a.m. (1730 GMT Friday) above the waters where the South China sea.

Freescale Semiconductor is a technology company focused on what it calls "embedded processing solutions." It works with clients in a variety of markets, including automotive and consumer electronics, to address technology issues using microprocessors and sensors.

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Pot TV Ad squelched

The first medical marijuana commercial slated to run on television in Massachusetts next month has vaporized — at least when it comes to airing through Comcast.

The ad failed to make its debut this past week in New Jersey because Comcast Spotlight, the advertising sales division of Comcast, rejected the ad as unsuitable.

"All commercials are subject to final review by Comcast Spotlight prior to airing and during that process it was determined that the spot did not meet our guidelines," Comcast spokesman Steven Restivo said yesterday.

MarijuanaDoctors.com — a website owned by New York-based Medical Cannabis Network that pairs patients with doctors willing to prescribe medical marijuana — had told the Herald on Feb. 28 and media outlets across the country that it had booked the Comcast airtime and the ad would run in New Jersey starting March 3 on cable networks including A&E, Bravo, CNN, Discovery, ESPN and Fox News.

It said the commercial would air in Massachusetts around April 20, which is known as "4/20 day" in cannabis culture, a day on which smoking pot is celebrated.

A Comcast Spotlight spokeswoman also had confirmed that the first-in-the-Northeast commercial would air.

"MarijuanaDoctors.com announced the campaign would launch on March 1 and, to the best of their knowledge, it was running in New Jersey," MarijuanaDoctors.com spokeswoman Janet Falk said yesterday via email. "On Friday … the executives received information that the campaign was not launched." Falk said the company planned to speak with Comcast tomorrow to "learn more about the situation."

But MarijuanaDoctors.com's advertising agency knew last Monday that the ad still was under review and was informed Thursday that it was rejected.

Comcast Spotlight previously approved medical marijuana ads to air after 10 p.m. in other parts of the country, but those ads were shot in a clinical setting.

MarijuanaDoctors.com's commercial, available on YouTube, shows a back-alley "dealer" selling the "best sushi" from inside his jacket with the voiceover: "You wouldn't buy your sushi from this guy, so why would you buy your marijuana from him?"

The website plans to launch its Massachusetts campaign in April as planned, according to Falk.

"MarijuanaDoctors.com has been approached directly by several TV stations and cable networks regarding advertising in Massachusetts," she said.

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Behind jet's passenger list is rich human tapestry

BANGKOK — Numbered 1 to 227, the passenger manifest for the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is an outwardly unremarkable document.

But behind the columns of capitalized names, nationalities and ages are 227 unique stories, part of a rich human tapestry that assembles every time a flight departs. There were middle-aged Australians with wanderlust, an acclaimed Chinese calligrapher, a young Indonesian man heading to begin a new career, and two people traveling on stolen passports.

More than a day and a half has passed since the Boeing 777 disappeared from radar screens in the first hour of a six-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing. From France to Australia and China, families and friends are enduring an agonizing wait for news about Flight MH370.

The flight had a crew of 12, all from Malaysia, a melting pot nation of ethnic Malays, Chinese and Indians. Passengers on the popular business and tourist route were mostly from China and Malaysia, along with smatterings of people from other corners of the world: Americans, Australians, Indians, French, Indonesians, Ukrainians and other nationalities.

Some traveled alone, some in groups. They were young sweethearts and wrinkled older couples. Some had business in mind, others thought of art. Seventy-four years separates the youngest, 2-year-old Moheng Wang, and the oldest, 76-year-old Rusheng Liu.

"I can only pray for a miracle," said Daniel Liau, the organizer of a calligraphic and painting exhibition in Malaysia attended by acclaimed Chinese calligrapher Meng Gaosheng, who boarded the flight with 18 other artists plus six family members and four staff.

"I feel very sad. Even though I knew them for a short time, they have become my friends," Liau said.

Also traveling as a group were eight Chinese and 12 Malaysian employees of Austin, Texas, semiconductor company Freescale, which said it was assembling "around-the-clock support" for their families.

Each day more than 80,000 flights take off and land around the world without incident. For seasoned Australian travelers Robert Lawton, 58, and his wife, Catherine, 54, the seemingly routine takeoff of flight MH370 was the beginning of another adventure.

"They mentioned in passing they were going on another big trip and they were really excited," Caroline Daintith, a neighbor, told Australian Broadcasting Corp. television of the couple described as doting grandparents.

Sharing their adventure was another 50-something Australian couple, Rodney and Mary Burrows. Neighbor Don Stokes said the trip was intended as the beginning of the "next step in their life."

Among the family groups on board were teenage sweethearts Hadrien Wattrelos, 17, and Zhao Yan, 18, students at a French school in Beijing who were returning from the Malaysian leg of a two-week holiday along with Hadrien's mother and younger sister.

In December, Zhao changed her Facebook profile photo to one of her and Hadrien. He had commented: "Je t'aime," followed by a heart, and she had "liked" his comment.

Some boarded the plane with more serious purposes in mind.

Colleagues of Chandrika Sharma said the 50-year-old director of the Chennai chapter of an organization that works with fishermen was on her way from the southern Indian city to Mongolia for a Food and Agriculture Organization conference.

"There must still be hope," said a colleague, Venogupal, who like many in India goes by one name.

He seemed, however, to be bracing for the worst. "She was friendly and very loveable, very industrious and astute. We will miss her."

For 24-year-old Firman Chandra Siregar from Medan, Indonesia, the flight was a new chapter. In Beijing, he was to start a three-year contract with Schlumberger, an oilfield services company.

Dozens of relatives and neighbors gathered at his family's home, some tearful, praying or watching news of the search and rescue operation. Like Sharma's colleagues, they were forced to let hope ebb away.

A team from the Indonesian police's Disaster Victim Identification unit collected DNA samples and medical records from Firman's family and photographed pictures of Firman that hung on the walls of the family home.

The motivation of some on board is murky. Two passengers were traveling with stolen EU passports — fueling speculation that the plane's disappearance was not an accident.

Yet the documents are just two of at least 39 million lost and stolen passports around the world. Last year, there were more than 29.3 million flights worldwide. By chance, many of those flights would have a passenger traveling on a stolen passport. They may be criminals, people seeking a better life, or something else.

Also by chance: Liu Hongwei was not on Flight MH370.

The Beijing-based head of an investment company and friend of the calligrapher Meng said that he was invited to the exhibition and cultural exchange in Malaysia as a sponsor, but that business commitments kept him from going.

"That could have been me on that plane," he said. "We're all very worried."

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McGuirk reported from Canberra, Australia. Researcher Fu Ting in Shanghai, Associated Press video journalist Isolda Morillo in Beijing and AP writers Gillian Wong in Beijing, Katy Daigle in New Delhi, Ali Kotarumalos in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Eileen Ng in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, contributed to this report.

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Device aids weight loss

Doctors at three Massachusetts hospitals are recruiting people battling Type 2 diabetes and obesity for a clinical trial of a medical device that has been approved in other countries to reduce blood sugar and body weight without the need for the kind of weight-loss surgery that more than 200,000 Americans undergo each year.

Made by Lexington-based GI Dynamics, the EndoBarrier is a thin, flexible, tube-shaped liner placed via the mouth during a brief endoscopic procedure and inserted in the duodenum, the first section of the small intestine, just beyond the stomach, said Dr. Lee M. Kaplan, the trial's lead investigator and director of the Obesity, Metabolism and Nutrition Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School.

"The food you eat goes down the middle of the tube," Kaplan said, "but the tube blocks interactions between the food and hormone secretions," which can affect insulin sensitivity, glucose metabolism, satiety and food intake.

In commercial use outside the U.S., the device has been shown to achieve as much as a 30 percent reduction in glucose levels within the first week and a 10 percent to 20 percent body-weight loss within the 12-month period for which it has been approved for use in countries including England, France, Germany and Australia, said Stuart Randle, GI Dynamics' president and CEO.

"No one yet knows why, when you bypass the first section of the intestine, these hormones change so dramatically and so immediately," Randle said.

The U.S. trial, which currently is enrolling people at 22 sites, including MGH, Boston Medical Center and UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester, will end in two years and, if it shows that the EndoBarrier is safe and effective, the Food and Drug Administration could approve the device in about a year.

If it does, the EndoBarrier could offer new hope to the 26 million people who have been diagnosed with diabetes in this country, including approximately 360,000 adults in Massachusetts, where the disease each week causes an average of 22 deaths, 38 lower-leg amputations, 13 new cases of end-stage renal disease and five new 
cases of blindness, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

"Obesity and diabetes are twin epidemics that remain out of control, and while we have good medical therapies for diabetes and some good therapies for obesity, they don't always work," Kaplan said. "For those patients who need additional therapy, this device may provide a valuable new option. But testing it is critical."

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Libyan militia attempting to export oil abroad

TRIPOLI, Libya — Militias in control of Libya's eastern ports are attempting to export oil with a North Korea-flagged tanker that docked at gunpoint Saturday, as the prime minister said his military leaders failed to carry out orders to stop the vessel.

It is not clear why the military leaders didn't stop the vessel docking — in line with previous government orders trying to block militias in control of several of the country's oil terminals and ports since the summer from exporting crude.

Prime Minister Ali Zidan simply said his government has been facing challenges from all sides.

"Everyone is working against the government," Zidan told a news conference, addressing the tanker docked at al-Sidra port. "The defense minister had asked the chief of staff to move (against the militia), asking them to deal with it, but nothing happened."

Leaders of a movement for self-rule in the oil-rich eastern Libya control numerous ports, halting Libya's exports for months. The halt has drastically affected the country's oil exports, while the movement's militia said they have formed a regional oil company and a shadow regional government.

Aside from autonomy, the group in the self-declared independent Barqa region in the east is demanding a share of the oil revenues.

The spokesman for the militia, Abd-Rabbo al-Barassi, said that his group would respond to any attempt to stop the shipment.

Mohammed al-Harari, the spokesman for Libya's national oil company, said Saturday that the vessel docked at al-Sidra could carry up to 350,000 barrels of oil. An oil company official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief reporters, said armed gunmen forced workers loyal to the government to dock the ship.

In January, Libya's navy prevented a Malta-flagged oil tanker from entering to ports controlled by the militia.

Zidan's government has been undermined by the proliferation of militias around the country, some of which are allying themselves with rival political factions. Islamist, Western-backed politicians and tribal leaders are locked into power struggles which have left post-civil war Libya fractured. Assassinations of public figures and security officials are frequent.

Most of the lawlessness is blamed on militias, which the government is struggling to control even as it continues to rely on many of them to impose order.

Zidan said his government has been in touch with the North Korean government. He said the tanker is believed to be owned by a Gulf businessman, but didn't elaborate.

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Tee time part of Obama's Florida family vacation

KEY LARGO, Fla. — President Barack Obama got out on a Florida golf course Saturday with two former professional athletes and the cousin of one of his top advisers.

Obama's foursome included Ahmad Rashad, Cyrus Walker and Alonzo Mourning, the White House said.

Rashad is a sportscaster and former NFL wide receiver. Mourning is a former center for the NBA's Miami Heat who has helped raised money for Obama's campaigns. Later this month, Obama is scheduled to headline a fundraiser for the House Democrats' campaign arm at Mourning's Miami home.

Mourning is also helping the administration promote Obama's new health care law. He played golf with Obama in Florida last November.

Walker is a cousin of Obama senior adviser Valerie Jarrett.

Obama, his wife, Michelle, and daughters Malia and Sasha, arrived Friday afternoon at the Ocean Reef Club for a weekend getaway. The private, by-invitation-only membership club has two championship 18-hole golf courses.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Obama was looking forward to some warm-weather downtime with his family.

Before escaping the cold weather in Washington, Obama recorded his weekly radio and Internet address. In the message, Obama said he's hearing from business owners across the country who are voluntarily paying their workers more than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

Congressional Republicans are resisting Obama's pleas to raise the wage to $10.10 an hour, saying it will lead employers to eliminate jobs.

In the Republican address, Ohio Sen. Rob Portman says Obama's proposed 2015 budget taxes too much and spends too much. Portman says Senate Republicans have a plan to spark economic recovery by getting government out of the way.

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Online:

Obama address: http://whitehouse.gov

Republican address: www.youtube.com/user/gopweeklyaddress

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Casinos’ projections trump panel’s

The annual gaming revenue projected by the competing Mohegan Sun and Wynn Resorts casino proposals exceed a new state Gaming Commission study, which factors in competition from the slots parlor the commission green-lighted to open at the harness racetrack in Plainville.

The commission's study, released late last month by the firm HLT, projects the Boston-area casino will generate $749 million in gross gaming revenue with a slots parlor open in Plainville, with $606.9 million coming from Massachusetts and $142 million from neighboring states. The state will take 25 percent of that revenue in taxes.

Mohegan Sun projects $857 million in gross gaming revenues in its first year for a casino at Suffolk Downs in Revere, while Wynn projects $804 million for its Everett site.

Gaming Commission Chairman Stephen Crosby said the board will study the discrepancies.

"We'll be looking at their projections, looking at their assumptions and giving them a good scrub," Crosby said.

Clyde Barrow, a University of Massachusetts Dartmouth professor and gaming expert, said his independent studies have projected well north of $800 million, particularly for a Suffolk Downs casino, because it's in such a dense population area.

"They're high," Barrow said, "but I came out in the same space as they did."

Wynn says it's been conservative in its estimates, and supporters of the Everett casino say the Las Vegas company has the economic strength to deliver on promises.

"The hastily devised Mohegan Sun casino proposed in Revere at the last minute will not attract visitors from outside our region or even take away any business from Mohegan Sun's main operation in Connecticut," Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria said in a statement. "Wynn Resorts has a proven track record of attracting international customers to their facilities — that's the type of operator Massachusetts needs."

Gary Luderitz, Mohegan Sun's vice president of operations and development, stuck by the projections, saying the company is better positioned to tap customers in the region due to its existing database and that the commission's estimate that the average adult will leave $375 at the Boston-area casino per visit '"sounds a little low to me."

"We're starting from a very strong position in the Northeast," Luderitz said. "Our data analysis consultants used figures that had held up in other work that they've done. We feel pretty good about it."

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Buick is showing classic symptoms of vapor lock

Here is a problem that I have fought for almost two years. My 2001 Buick Regal will not start after a shutdown and heat soak. The car has 128,000 miles, never shuts down while driving, starts and runs perfectly in the morning. When it won't restart, you can crank it until the battery runs down, but the car won't start. After shutting the engine off it will start immediately — if you don't wait too long! Engine operating temperature is normal, it never overheats and has a new thermostat and ECT sensor. There are no intake manifold leaks, either vacuum or coolant. Fuel pressure is normal, but a new regulator was installed along with a new MAF sensor. In a no-start condition the spark will jump a gap of at least one inch at the coil.

In the summer I carry a jug of water in the trunk (in winter I use snow) and in a no-start condition I pour about a quart of water on the intake plenum. The car will start right away and will run perfectly until the next no-start condition.

I can't recall a better description of vapor lock. The proper term is fuel percolation, which describes residual engine heat boiling the ready fuel supply in the fuel rails near the plenum/intake manifold. When this occurs, fuel pressure fades due to the aerated fuel disrupting fuel delivery from the injectors. Even though fuel pressure may be "normal" when tested with the engine running, I suspect fuel pressure drops quickly after shutdown due to percolation.

Using water to cool the intake stops the percolation. The first few injector pulses bleed air from the rail and, as fuel pressure returns, the engine starts.

But how to eliminate the problem? Start with three simple steps. Idle the engine for 30 seconds before shutdown to allow coolant to carry residual combustion heat from the cylinder heads into the radiator. Pop the hood open to the safety catch position to allow hot air to escape from under the hood. And try different brands of fuel, looking for a fuel with a vapor pressure less prone to this issue.

In addition, make sure airflow through the A/C condenser and radiator is clear and unobstructed. If the cooling system hasn't been serviced recently a power flush may lower coolant and underhood temperatures measurably.

And to cover all the bases turn the ignition to the "on" position and listen for the fuel pump to run for two seconds and then stop, confirming that the fuel pump relay and fuel pump are operating properly. I'd also test for injector pulse widths from the PCM to confirm that the fuel injectors are being commanded to open/close on a hot restart.

I have a well-maintained 2003 Acura 3.2L TL-S model with 114,000 miles. My Goodyear dealer has continued to propose replacement of the timing belt and water pump. He said the belt should have been replaced at the seven-year mark or 100,000 miles. I can't seem to find any definitive recommendations from Acura or on the Internet about this repair. I want to maintain the car and continue to drive it for a number of years and would value your opinion on this repair.

Acura's service recommendation for this vehicle and engine, as outlined in my Alldata automotive database, calls for timing belt replacement at 105,000 miles/84 months under normal operating conditions. Under severe service conditions — operation at ambient temperatures under minus-20 degrees or above 110 — replacement is recommended every 60,000 miles.

With this engine, a timing belt failure could allow contact between pistons and valves, resulting in catastrophic engine failure, so a new timing belt makes perfect sense. Include pre-emptive replacement of the water pump.

Paul Brand, author of "How to Repair Your Car," is an automotive troubleshooter, driving instructor and former race-car driver. Readers may write to him at: Star Tribune, 425 Portland Ave. S., Minneapolis, Minn., 55488 or via email at paulbrand@startribune.com. Please explain the problem in detail and include a daytime phone number. Because of the volume of mail, we cannot provide personal replies.

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No consensus on how to notify data breach victims

WASHINGTON — The data breach at Target Corp. that exposed millions of credit card numbers has focused attention on the patchwork of state consumer notification laws and renewed a push for a single national standard.

Most states have laws that require retailers to disclose data breaches, but the laws vary wildly. Consumers in one state might learn immediately that their personal information had been exposed, but that might not happen in another state, and notification requirements for businesses depend on where their customers are located. Attorney General Eric Holder has joined the call for a nationwide notification standard, but divisions persist, making a consensus questionable this year.

"We're stuck with the state-by-state approach unless some compromise gets done at the federal level," said Peter Swire, a privacy expert at Georgia Tech and a former White House privacy official.

Despite general agreement on the value of a national standard, there are obstacles to a straightforward compromise:

—Consumer groups don't want to weaken existing protections in states with the strongest laws.

—Retailers want laws that are less burdensome to comply with and say too much notification could cause consumers to tune out the problem.

—Congress is looking at different proposals for how any federal standard should be enforced and what the threshold should be before notification requirements kick in.

The issue gained fresh urgency as part of a larger security debate after data breaches involving retailers Neiman Marcus and Target. Target, the nation's second-largest retail discounter, has said 40 million credit and debit card accounts were exposed between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.

The company went public with the breach on Dec. 19, several days after it said it learned of the problem and soon after the news began leaking online. Since then, sales, profit and stock prices have dropped, the company's chief information officer has resigned and banks and retailers are facing continued scrutiny about what more can be done to protect consumer data.

The Justice Department is investigating the data theft, and Holder urged Congress in a video statement last month to adopt a national notification standard that would include exemptions for harmless breaches.

"This would empower the American people to protect themselves if they are at risk of identity theft. It would enable law enforcement to better investigate these crimes and to hold compromised entities accountable when they fail to keep sensitive information safe," he said in the statement.

Such proposals have been around for years.

An Obama administration plan from 2011 would have required businesses that collect personal information on more than 10,000 people in any 12-month period to disclose potentially harmful breaches and for breaches that affect more than 5,000 people to be reported to consumer credit reporting agencies and the federal government.

Past congressional efforts to agree on a standard have failed. Currently, 46 states and the District of Columbia have their own breach notification laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Proposals now before Congress would require notification. But there are differences in what information the notification would provide, the threshold for notifying regulators and law enforcement, and the proposed enforcement. Some bills seek criminal penalties for deliberately concealing a breach; others do not.

Consumer groups fear that any national standard could turn out to be weaker than the strongest state laws, such as one in California that requires a business or state agency to notify any state resident whose data was improperly obtained. Other state laws are more lenient, requiring notice only in cases where a risk analysis determines that the breach is likely to have actually harmed consumers.

"From industry's perspective, whether you're a bank or a merchant, you don't want to have to notify consumers," said Ed Mierzwinski, consumer program director at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group. "They want to pre-empt, or override, the best state laws."

Retailers say they do support a federal notification standard but one that would be triggered when sensitive material has been exposed — as opposed to, say, customers' shoe sizes — and when there's a risk that it will be used for theft or fraud.

"There are different kinds of data. There's data that can lead to an identity theft (or) financial fraud, and there's data that probably doesn't have much utility to the criminals," said David French, senior vice president for government relations at the National Retail Federation. "If you get 20 notices a month, at some point you just turn it off."

Meanwhile, retailers remain at odds with financial institutions over how best to protect consumer data. Retailers say banks need to upgrade security technology on the credit cards they issue. Banks say retailers need to do more to enhance their own security.

"There's no agreement in the private sector among the major players about what their responsibilities are, and that makes it more difficult for us in the Congress to end up on the same page," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee, in an interview.

He is sponsoring legislation that provides for notification in cases where there is "substantial risk" of identity theft or account fraud.

Carper said he's hoping for a solution, because the "alternative is a patchwork quilt that is a nightmare."

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Follow Eric Tucker on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/etuckerAP

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