In response to the Bush Administration’s attempt to turn over the operation of six major U.S. ports – including the Port of New York and New Jersey - to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates, Tenth District Congressman Donald Payne recently held two Town Hall meetings on the issue of port security. During the forums, which were took place in Elizabeth, New Jersey and Montclair on March 22nd and 23rd , Congressman Payne solicited opinions from his constituents and answered questions about the Bush Administration’s secretive port deal.
After a public outcry and pressure from Congress, the United Arab Emirates-owned company Dubai Ports World announced on March 9 that it would transfer its operations of American ports to a “U.S. entity”, but it is still unclear if the American port operations will eventually be fully independent or if the company will still exercise some control over them. Payne called on the Bush administration to take long-overdue steps to protect our nation’s ports.
“Given that the Port of New York/New Jersey is the largest port complex on the East Coast, providing thousands of jobs and moving more than $132 billion of cargo last year, it is imperative that the Bush administration take every precaution to ensure that it is safe from potential terrorist attacks,” said Payne. “We remember all too vividly the horrible tragedy of September 11th and its impact on our communities in New Jersey.”
Payne, a member of the Congressional Port Security Caucus, emphasized at the Town Hall Meetings his longstanding commitment to protecting our nation’s ports. He is a cosponsor of several measures in Congress to strengthen port security, including the United States Seaport Multiyear Security Enhancement Act, which would provide a steady, predictable stream of funding for our national port infrastructure. Payne also supports the Sail Only if Scanned Act, legislation that would mandate state-of-the-art screening of all containers entering our ports.
Addressing his constituents, Payne pointed out that “only about five percent of the more than eleven million shipping containers destined for the United States are inspected or scanned. We need to ensure the security of every container destined for this country.” He added, “The cost of creating this security system is minimal. In fact, the estimated cost to scan a container is only $6.50, which is a drop in the bucket given that it costs about $4,000 to ship a container from Asia to the United States.”
Payne also pointed out how the Dubai Ports World sale has been just one of many failures of the Bush Administration and the Republican-controlled Congress to protect our nation’s ports. Last December, the 9/11 commission gave a grade of “D” for checked bag and cargo screening, including cargo screening at ports, noting that more than four years after 9/11, only a small percentage of containers entering our ports are screened. Payne said, “The Republican budget clearly demonstrates a lack of commitment to port security. While the Coast Guard has stated that $5.4 billion is needed over ten years, only $765 million has been appropriated to help them carry out their duties.”
“Ninety-five percent of our nation’s foreign trade, worth more than $1 trillion per year, is handled by our nation’s ports,” Payne continued. “A weapon of mass destruction detonated in a container at a seaport could cause a tremendous number of casualties and an estimated economic loss ranging from $58 billion to $1 trillion,” Payne said. “We need more than tough rhetoric on national security from the Bush administration. We also need a financial commitment to accomplish our goals, a transparent process to encourage public debate, and effective policies with broad support.”
Presentations at the Town Hall Meetings were also given by representatives of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Coast Guard.
