For Immediate Release

Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Contact: Jim Berard

(202) 225-6260

 

 

Oberstar: Bush War Budget Leaves Ports Vulnerable

Appropriation request contains no specific

funds for risk assessment, port security

 

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WASHINGTON—The Ranking Democratic Member on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee today strongly criticized the Bush Administration’s $74.7 billion supplemental appropriation request for failing to provide adequate funds for port and maritime security.

 

In a statement for the Congressional Record, Rep. James L. Oberstar of Minnesota said the funding proposal continues a pattern by this Administration of shortchanging the security needs of our nation’s ports and maritime transportation.

 

The complete statement follows:

 

Fund Port Security NOW

Hon. James L. Oberstar

of Minnesota

In The House of Representatives

March 26, 2002

 

 

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the President requested $74.7 billion for supplemental appropriations for fiscal year 2003.  Although $1.5 billion is requested for the Department of Homeland Security’s Counterterrorism Fund, the Administration’s proposal fails to address one of the major weaknesses in our national security strategy – port and maritime security.  The Administration continues its abysmal track record of shortchanging our Nation’s port security needs.  The Supplemental Appropriations request includes no specific funding for assessing the security vulnerabilities of vessels and facilities along the navigable waterways of the United States.  At current funding levels, the Coast Guard will not complete vulnerability assessments at the Nation’s 55 largest ports until 2009.  The Administration’s request also includes no specific funding for port security grants.

 

On November 25, 2002, President Bush signed into law the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 (MTSA).  This landmark legislation is designed to improve security in our seaports, on vessels operating on our navigable waters, and in the entire maritime transportation system to protect our Nation from a security incident resulting in significant loss of life or economic disruption.  Under MTSA, the Federal government is required to conduct a vulnerability assessment of each vessel, port, and facility to assess any security weaknesses.  Moreover, by July 1, 2004, the Coast Guard must review and approve a security plan for each port, facility, and vessel.  If a port or vessel does not have an approved security plan by this date, it cannot operate. 

 

I am extremely concerned that this Administration is not taking the potential threat to port security or this responsibility seriously.  Pursuant to MTSA, on December 30, 2002, the Coast Guard published a Federal Register notice that detailed its cost estimates for ports and vessel owners to comply with security standards that the Coast Guard will prescribe under the Maritime Transportation Security Act.  The Coast Guard estimates that it will cost approximately $1.4 billion to comply with the Act in the first year and $6 billion over the next 10 years, including:

 

Ø      Facility security:            $4.4 billion;

Ø      Vessel security:            $1.1 billion; and

Ø      Port security plans:      $477 million. 

 

The Administration has proposed nothing to address these enormous security needs.  The Administration has neither requested nor provided adequate resources to conduct the Coast Guard vulnerability assessments quickly and secure our ports, facilities, and vessels.  To date, the Administration has requested only $11 million for vulnerability assessments and not one dime for port security grants.  Despite the Administration’s unwillingness to provide any substantial resources for port security, Congress has appropriated almost $350 million for port security grants.  Nevertheless, Congress has provided only six percent of the necessary funding and the Administration has awarded only $92 million, less than one-third, of the available funds.  

 

Mr. Speaker, we have a long way to go to secure our maritime system.  To date, the Coast Guard has completed vulnerability assessments at only eight of our Nation’s 350 ports.  Moreover, the Coast Guard has conducted vulnerability assessments at only three of the top 25 ports.  It has not conducted vulnerability assessments at any our largest ports, including Los Angeles/Long Beach, New Orleans, Houston, New York, San Francisco, Philadelphia, or Seattle/Tacoma.  At current funding levels, the Coast Guard will not complete assessments at the 55 largest ports until 2009.  In addition, the Administration proposes to transfer the responsibility for conducting vulnerability assessments from the Coast Guard to the new Information Analysis and Infrastructure Protection (IAIP) Directorate of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).  I am concerned about transferring these responsibilities for vital security plans to a DHS agency that has been in operation for just three weeks and has few staff members.  The Administration must dedicate the personnel and financial resources to get these vulnerability assessments done quickly and efficiently. 

 

Moreover, the Administration must support funding to secure our ports and facilities.  The Coast Guard has estimated that facility security will cost $4.4 billion over the next 10 years.  To date, the Administration has only awarded $92.3 million of the available port security grant funds.  When the Maritime Administration solicited requests for these grants, it received requests totaling seven times the available amount.  Although Congress has provided an additional $254 million for port security, no further grants have been awarded.

 

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives considered H. Con. Res. 95, the FY2004 Budget Resolution.  Cong. Spratt, Ranking Democratic Member of the Committee on Budget, offered a substitute amendment to H. Con. Res. 95 that included $1.5 billion specifically for port security grants.  Regrettably, the Republicans defeated this amendment.  However, in the Senate, Senator Hollings offered an amendment to its FY2004 Budget Resolution that would provide $2 billion ($1 billion in FY2004 and $1 billion in FY2005) to fund the security requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act.  It passed by voice vote.  As the Budget Resolution goes to conference, I urge this Administration and this Congress to strongly support Senator Hollings’ amendment and ensure that we begin to provide the necessary resources to secure our national maritime system. 

 

I continue to believe that securing our Nation’s ports and the cargo that moves through them is a Federal responsibility.  All Americans, whether you live in a port city or whether you live in Boise, Idaho will benefit from that security.  The impact on our economy and on all Americans if our Nation’s ports are closed down for a few weeks because of a terrorist attack is simply too great.  Factory lines will close down.  Refineries will run out of oil.  Stores will run out of goods.

 

I urge this Administration and this Congress to act now to ensure that we provide the necessary resources to secure our ports, facilities, and vessels. 

 

 

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