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MCCAIN PROPOSES RAIL SECURITY AMENDMENT
September 8, 2006
Washington, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator John McCain (R-AZ) delivered the following statement on the floor of the Senate regarding an amendment he proposed regarding rail security."Mr. President, I call up amendment #4922 and ask for its immediate consideration.
This amendment would ensure that, in addition to our efforts to improve port security, we also address another critical transportation mode, rail transportation. I am pleased to be joined in this effort by Senators DeWine, Snowe and Biden.
Mr. President, I am pleased that the Senate has chosen to take up the Port Security Improvement Act of 2006 to protect our nation’s ports and waterways. The bill implements several recommendations from the 9/11 Commission’s Final Report, including allocating security grants based on risk and comprehensive cargo screening. Additionally, the bill would establish an office within the Department of Homeland Security to coordinate all cargo security policy, develop a strategy for deployment of radiation detection capabilities in all ports, and establish a process to facilitate the movement of secure cargo from international ports to our ports without interrupting the international supply chain and delaying goods to consumers here in the United States.
Securing our ports is a crucial part of our efforts to protect Americans at home. The amendment that I am offering today would complement the underlying legislation by providing essential funding and additional tools to strengthen our Nation’s rail system.
Two years ago, the Senate passed by unanimous consent the Rail Security Act of 2004, legislation that was almost identical to the amendment that I am offering today. Unfortunately, that bill died in the House of Representatives. Last year, I reintroduced the legislation shortly after the London bombings of July 7, and language that is similar to the provisions of the Rail Security Act is in a title of the transportation security bill that was reported by the Commerce Committee in February. I sincerely hope that we will once again pass this important legislation. Rail security must be made a top priority of this Congress.
Mr. President, we were all deeply saddened by the tragic loss of life caused by the 2004 terrorist attacks in Madrid, the 2005 London attacks, and the terrorist attacks on commuter trains in Mumbai this summer. Those incidents are a painful reminder of the cruel nature of our enemies in our global war on terror, and of what we must do to fight and win against those who wish to eradicate our way of life. I have said on many occasions that we cannot just play defense in this war -- that instead we must take the fight to the enemy. Still, we must do what is possible and prudent to protect Americans at home. The numerous attacks on rail systems abroad demonstrate all too vividly the continuing need for this legislation.
There is little doubt that we have increased dramatically our security capabilities over the past five years. However, there is just as little doubt that we have much more to do. Since the attacks of 9/11, only relatively modest resources have been dedicated to rail security. Our Nation’s transit system, Amtrak, and the freight railroads, I am sad to say, remain vulnerable to terrorist threats. This lack of funding exists despite the fact that the Department of Homeland Security has identified as potential terrorist targets the freight and passenger rail networks, which are critical to the nation’s transportation system and national defense. The 9/11 Commission, too, in its report on the facts and circumstances surrounding the 9/11 attacks, called for improved security in all modes of transportation, noting that ". . . terrorists may turn their attention to other modes."
This amendment would authorize a total of almost $1.2 billion dollars for rail security. More than half of this funding would be authorized to complete tunnel safety and security improvements at New York’s Penn Station, which is used by over 500,000 transit, commuter, and intercity passengers each workday. This funding is all the more urgent given this summer's arrest by the FBI of eight suspects tied to al Qaeda who were plotting attacks on train tunnels connecting New York and New Jersey.
The legislation would also establish a grant program, authorized at $350 million dollars, to help increase security by the freight railroads, Amtrak, shippers of hazardous materials, and local governments with security responsibility for passenger stations not owned by Amtrak. Further, DHS would be required to complete a vulnerability assessment of the rail network to terrorist attack and make recommendations to Congress for addressing security weaknesses. Importantly, to protect the taxpayers' interests, all Amtrak authorizations would be managed by the Department of Transportation through formal grant agreements.
Mr. President, we face a dedicated, focused, and intelligent foe in the war on terrorism. This enemy will probe to find our weaknesses and move against them. We have seen the vulnerabilities of rail to terrorism in other countries and the devastating consequences of such an attack. It is essential that we move expeditiously to protect all the modes of transportation from potential attack.
Also, Mr. President, at this point I would like to note that this amendment is cosponsored by Senators DeWine, Snowe, and Biden. I thank the senators for their cosponsorship of this critical measure.
I trust that the Senate will once again pass this essential legislation. We owe at least that much to the American people as we continue our struggle against an enemy that wants nothing less than to destroy everything we stand for and believe in."
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