Senators seek more aid for transportation security
By Chris Strohm, National Journal's
<http://www.nationaljournal.com/about/technologydaily> Technology Daily
http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0107/010507tdpm2.htm
A bipartisan group of senators is seeking more than $1 billion to bolster
security for passenger railroad and bus systems, the trucking and freight
industry, tunnels, and pipelines.
Newly minted Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, and
ranking Republican Ted Stevens of Alaska are sponsoring a bill that will
seek $1.2 billion over three years for transportation security improvements.
Several provisions were included in the Senate's version of a maritime
security bill last year but were removed before Congress finalized it.
"Our legislation represents a federal commitment to surface transportation
security for our nation's railroads, trucks, buses and pipelines," Inouye
said. "It identifies and addresses the numerous, lingering shortcomings that
currently exist in these systems and provides the Transportation Security
Administration with the necessary guidance needed to improve the protection
of our essential transportation infrastructure."
The bill does not, however, address shortcomings in inner-city bus and
subway systems.
It was not immediately clear if funding authorized in the bill would be
supported by appropriators. But Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman
Robert Byrd, D-W.Va., has offered legislation in the past to fund rail and
transit security. A spokesman for Byrd could not be reached for comment.
Some critics argue that putting more money into surface transportation
security is wasteful and not the best counter-terrorism strategy.
"I think throwing federal money at infrastructure is a loser strategy. You
can't childproof the United States," said James Carafano, a senior research
fellow at the Heritage Foundation. "You cannot protect all your
vulnerabilities and that's not the best place to invest all your money. If
you put all your money in trains, they blow up schoolyards."
Carafano said a better strategy is for the federal government to invest
money in counter-terrorism programs that identify terrorists and stop
attacks before they are fully hatched.
The new Democratic-controlled Congress is likely to struggle with how best
to spend money to improve homeland security. "It's been more than five years
since [the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks], and the government still
hasn't done enough to prevent a disaster on our railroads," said Sen. Frank
Lautenberg, D-N.J. "We cannot afford to delay."
The proposed bill would establish a new freight- and passenger-rail security
grant program and a study on the feasibility of passenger and baggage
screening. The bill also would require a program that encourages trucks
carrying hazardous materials to be equipped with communications and tracking
technology, and it would call for a feasibility study on developing a
national response system for transportation communication alerts.
The bill also would authorize funding to upgrade Amtrak railroad tunnels in
Baltimore, New York and Washington, including authorizing $400 million for
improvements to the rail tunnels in the New York-New Jersey region.
Candace Carman
CRA, Inc.
4401 Ford Ave. Ste. 600
Alexandria, VA 22302
703-535-5211
http://www.cra-usa.net
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
--------------------------
Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL
PROTECTED]
--------------------------
Brooks Isoldi, editor
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.intellnet.org
Post message: [email protected]
Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has
not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of
The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT
YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the
included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of
intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods,
techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other
intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material
as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use
this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,'
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/
<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional
<*> To change settings online go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join
(Yahoo! ID required)
<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
