Security Briefs - Jan. 18 - Jan. 24
- Bush Seeking $37.7 Billion for Homeland Security
- Stolen Nitric Acid Found in L.A.
- Florida Gov. Pledges $10 Million for Truck Inspections
- U.S. Considers Ways to Make Ports Safer
- No Major Delays Despite New Airport Screening Regulations
- U.S. Customs to Inspect Cargo in Canada
- Pa. State Senator Says Hazmat Software Available
- Stolen Nitric Acid Found in L.A.
Bush Seeking $37.7 Billion for Homeland Security
President Bush said Thursday he is proposing $37.7 billion for homeland security in his fiscal 2003 budget, featuring a jump in funding for local police and fire departments, emergency communications systems, equipment to control hazardous materials and training to fight bioterrorism, news services reported.Because trucks are used in the transportation of hazmat and in emergencies, security issues are important for the trucking industry.
Bush said the money represents the start of a focus on domestic defense that will last throughout his presidency, Reuters said.
Homeland security spokesman Gordon Johndroe also said this money will be used to further increase border and port security. The office is also reviewing a plan to consolidate the agencies that oversee border security.
Stolen Nitric Acid Found in L.A.
Authorities in Los Angeles Wednesday found the last of five 100-pound canisters of nitric acid stolen along with a truck on New Year's Eve, the Associated Press reported.Nitric acid is a highly corrosive liquid that can be mixed with other agents to make fertilizers and explosives.
The truck, with the four other canisters, was found parked in East Los Angeles on Friday. The vehicle and its hazardous cargo had been stolen from Del Amo Chemicals in Los Angeles. Transport Topics
Florida Gov. Pledges $10 Million for Truck Inspections
In his State of the State address on Tuesday, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush proposed a $10 million program to improve truck inspection stations, the Journal of Commerce reported.Specific details were not released, but x-ray machines that can show the contents of trucks are expected to be included in his inspection program, the article said.
Bush also pledged an additional $6 million on domestic security. Transport Topics
U.S. Considers Ways to Make Ports Safer
The United States is in the process of trying to secure the nation's seaports, but some fear it could hurt global trade, the Washington Times reported Tuesday.Since trucks often transfer cargo to and from ports, having trade move smoothly through ports is important to the trucking industry.
To ensure that steel containers entering the United States are safe, Adm. James Loy, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, prominent members of Congress and others are pushing require cargo to be inspected, sealed in tamper-proof containers and certified as safe before shipment.
Opponents worry that turning away ships hauling between 4,000 and 6,000 containers each could create financial havoc in the U.S. and elsewhere. Transport Topics
Carriers Haul Anthrax Detritus
Several motor carriers are hauling 10 to 20 truckloads of hazardous waste from anthrax cleanup projects to an incinerator in Norfolk, Va., Bill Hayden of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality told Transport Topics last week.The first shipment was delivered to American Waste Industries Jan. 14, the Washington Post first reported.
Most of the cargo consists of protective suits worn by testing and clean-up crews working in Senate offices on Capitol Hill and postal centers in New York and New Jersey, according to Hayden. He said the gear has been decontaminated with a chlorine solution and bagged twice.
The waste haulers will take undisclosed routes and be escorted by state police to the Norfolk site. Eric Kulisch
No Major Delays Despite New Airport Screening Regulations
After weeks of warning, the first weekend of the new federal baggage-screening policy passed without major delays, news services reported Sunday.Delays at airports can hold up some flights carrying air cargo, which can, in turn, disrupt ground transportation networks, including trucks.
The screening was made necessary by a federal law passed in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, requiring that all bags be screened by hand or machine for explosives, Reuters said.
Early in the day, airports across the country were reporting close to normal lines at nearly all their terminals, the Associated Press reported. Transport Topics
U.S. Customs to Inspect Cargo in Canada
The United States will for the first time place cargo screeners in Canada to pre-clear cargo destined for this country, the Journal of Commerce reported Friday. Canadian inspectors will be allowed to do the same thing in the U.S.The move will allow cargo to be pre-cleared for border crossing, thus cutting down on delays. This could speed the travel of goods by truck between the two countries.
U.S. inspectors will be stationed at the Canadian ports of Halifax and Vancouver, while the port of Norfolk, Va., will host Canadian inspectors, the JoC said.
Customs officials from both countries have said that other ports may be involved in the program. The program is part of Director of Homeland Security Tom Ridge’s 30-point plan for a smart border. Transport Topics
Pa. State Senator Says Hazmat Software Available
Pa. State Senator Roger Madigan, chairman of the state's Transportation Committee, said Friday he's obtained compliance software for hazardous materials truck shipments and he will provide it to all 50 states.These systems are being provided by RegScan, Inc. and will ensure "all trucks are placarded properly and that hazardous materials are properly segregated on the trucks," Madigan said in a statement.
Madigan said that in 1999, statistics from the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration showed 49% of all hazardous materials inspections uncovered safety violations on trucks. This, he said, is unacceptable and is the reason why local law enforcement needs to be prepared for anything. Transport Topics
(Click here for the full press release.)
Click here for the previous Security Briefs
