VICKSBURG, MS - U.S. Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington), a member of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security, today visited one of the nation's key commercial ports to examine whether existing transportation and port security laws are sufficient to keep the nation's communities safe and to ensure economic stability. Etheridge attended a field hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security entitled "Protecting Our Commerce: Enhancing Port and Waterway Security" in Vicksburg, Mississippi.

"Our ports are not only critical entryways into our nation that must be protected but they are critical entryways to our economy," Etheridge said. "North Carolinians understand that our ports are a key to our economy and our ability to move goods back and forth. Our Coast Guard has tremendous responsibilities, and we must make sure they have the resources and the personnel to get the job done. It is clear that we must secure our ports to keep our communities safe and our economy strong. That means thoroughly screening the cargo entering through our ports and utilizing common sense strategies to provide security at our ports."

North Carolina has two main ports; one in Morehead City and one in Wilmington. The state's ports help support 48,300 jobs statewide and account for $29 million in tax revenue. In the Triangle area alone, ports help provide 5,891 jobs.

As part of the hearing, Etheridge and members of the committee toured the Port of Vicksburg. The Coast Guard's Eighth District, which is responsible for security at the Port of Vicksburg, also provides security for 17 of the nation's 40 busiest ports, including the large ports of New Orleans and Houston. The Eighth District is responsible for more than 6,500 oil and gas producing wells, 130 mobile offshore drilling units, five of the top seven commercial fishing ports and a vast network of inland waterways.

At the hearing, Etheridge heard testimony from Admiral Robert Duncan, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard's Eighth District and Cynthia Swain, director of safety and security at the Port of New Orleans. The committee heard the perspective of business from Jimmy Heidel, executive vice president of the Vicksburg-Warren County Chamber of Commerce, and Dr. Diedre McGowan, executive director of the Inland Rivers, Ports and Terminals Association.