REMARKS
FOR
THE
HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY
OF TRANSPORTATION
PORT
SECURITY GRANT ANNOUNCEMENT
BATTERY
PARK, NEW YORK
MONDAY,
JUNE 17, 2002
Good afternoon, and thank you very much
for that kind introduction. It is
certainly a pleasure to join Chairman Bill Young, Admiral Collins, Administrator
Schubert, state and local officials here in New York today, especially Police
Commissioner Raymond Kelly, who served on my Rapid Response Task Force
immediately following the attacks of September 11th. I
am even more delighted because of the reason for my visit.
As you know all too well, the United
States and its citizens remain targets for criminal and terrorist groups seeking
to challenge our policies, influence international affairs, and restrict our
freedom of mobility.
Terrorists seek to destroy public
confidence in the safety and security of all transportation modes, and thereby
damage our economic security. The
continued growth of commercial transportation, tourism, and our economy depends
upon effective security measures.
Our vision of homeland security is broad
and comprehensive. Protecting
seaports and port facilities against the threat of terrorism is imperative.
The terrorist attacks have resulted in a renewed focus on the security of
our transportation systems and we at DOT are aggressively meeting these
challenges on several fronts.
To help achieve our goal, I am today
announcing the award of $92.3 million in grants to 77 seaports located
throughout the nation to enhance the security of the maritime transportation
system. This money includes $8.9
million for the Port of New York and New Jersey. Congress appropriated these funds to the Transportation
Security Administration to award competitive grants to critical seaports
nationwide.
With this money, we intend to secure the
passengers, personnel, and physical goods of our nation’s ports and waterways.
Approximately $77 million will fund
enhanced facility and operational security. An additional $5 million will provide security assessments
that will enable ports and terminals to evaluate vulnerabilities and identify
strategies for their facilities. Finally,
$9.3 million will fund “proof of concept” projects, which will explore the
use of new technology, such as electronic seals, vessel tracking, and electronic
notification of vessel arrivals. All of these efforts will improve maritime security.
Immediately following the terrorist
attacks, and since, the Coast Guard has enhanced security in the territorial
waters surrounding the nation by increasing its presence to protect critical
bridges, port facilities, and other infrastructure adjacent to waterways.
When necessary, they are even escorting vessels containing critical cargo
and those traveling through security sensitive areas.
We’re fortunate that our former Coast
Guard Commandant, Admiral James Loy, has agreed to continue his service to our
country as Deputy Under Secretary for Transportation Security and Chief
Operating Officer.
We also have brought on the person who
led the Coast Guard response in New York harbor to the September 11th
terrorist attacks. Under the
leadership of Rear Admiral Richard Bennis, the TSA’s Office of Maritime and
Land Security, along with the Maritime Administration, and our maritime industry
partners, are all working closely to improve port security.
In an effort to reassess the security
threats posed by cargo containers, the Interagency Container Working Group, led
by the Department of Transportation and U.S. Customs, has developed
recommendations to improve the security of containers as they move through the
intermodal system.
The Office of Intelligent Transportation
Systems recently augmented these efforts, when they successfully completed a
test of electronic seals I mentioned a few moments ago.
The E-Seals program will enable the tracking of commercial container
shipments from their point of inspection at seaports to their point of clearance
at U.S. land border crossings.
And we will continue our work with
Congress to help pass effective port security legislation to further strengthen
and protect our borders.
It is impossible to overstate the
importance of our national maritime security.
Marine transportation is, by its very nature, intermodal.
A cargo container arriving at a U.S. seaport today can be virtually
anywhere in America tomorrow.
Thus, the distribution of this $92.3
million in competitive grants will further our efforts to ensure that goods and
passengers travel safely and efficiently through our maritime transportation
system.
These
efforts are a part of the focus of an Administration-wide initiative.
As President Bush has clearly stated, a key element of our homeland
security strategy is to increase communication and coordination among Federal
agencies.
To
this end, the President announced his intention to create, with the help of
Congress, a Cabinet-level Department of Homeland Security, which would draw on
the expertise of several agencies within the Department of Transportation and
throughout the federal government.
Communication among these entities is
key to assisting our officials at all levels to protect and defend against
future terrorist attacks – and to effectively manage incidents should they
occur.
I believe that we are on the right path
to success in strengthening our homeland security at this critical time in our
nation’s history, and I have pledged my support and that of our Department to
our President in his effort to achieve this vision.
Again, thank you very much for inviting
me here today. Now I’d be happy
to answer any questions you may have.
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