MINETA PROPOSES NEW PORT SECURITY RULES TO HOUSE

MINETA PROPOSES NEW PORT SECURITY RULES TO HOUSE    Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta asked lawmakers at a House subcommittee hearing Thursday to allow Coast Guard officials to search and monitor arriving vessels as far as 12 miles from American coastlines.
   Mineta also asked for new Maritime Safety and Security Teams to be established for rapid deployment to enhance port security operations.
   He stressed the need for legislation that would insure tighter security at its seaports before cargo laden with terrorist contraband can infiltrate the mainland, adding that there are too many vulnerabilities in cargo transport modes for terrorists to slip in contraband for terrorist acts.
   “A cargo container arriving at a U.S. seaport today can be virtually anywhere in the heartland America via truck and or rail tomorrow,” he said.
   Mineta asked members of the committee to enact legislation that would give local ports the authority to act autonomously with the Department of Transportation and other government agencies for seaport security.
   “The biggest thing is to prioritize where you want to direct your services,” he said, stressing that “one size does not fit all” regarding national seaport security.
   More funding, particularly for the Coast Guard, needs to be enacted, he said, adding that Coast Guard personnel and equipment have been overworked since a national alert to protect American seaports 24 hours a day after the events of Sept. 11.
   When asked his assessment of the newly established Homeland Security Council, Mineta defended it and asked for adequate funding from Congress to support the council’s activities. “It’s really the financial resources that we are lacking, not the authority,” he told Rep. Frank LoBiondo, R, N.J.
   Mineta stressed that sophisticated terrorist networks, which have infiltrated the U.S., should be met with a sophisticated security network.
   “The transportation networks that make up the maritime transportation system are constantly evolving,” he said. “The security threats and safety challenges we face in marine transportation are constantly evolving.”
   Rep. Peter DeFazio applauded Mineta for his proposal to extend the U.S. Coast Guard’s jurisdiction from three to 12 miles from the coastline for vessel examination. DeFazio, a proponent of aviation security measures, also saw the need to secure the American coastlines from terrorists. “Some of these ships could be owned by Osama Bin Laden and we would never know it,” he said.