Hell, they elected this one to the U.S. Senate!
Posted on 09/12/2002 10:35:55 PM PDT by Born in a Rage
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 12, 2002
SCHUMER: NEW YORK DANGEROUSLY UNPREPARED FOR NUCLEAR TERRORIST THREAT
New York, Nation's Ports, Bridges, Tunnels Lack Ability to Detect Nuclear Devices Contained on Ships, Trucks Equally Capable of Bringing In Undetected Nuclear Devices
Schumer Announces New Legislation to Provide New Nuclear Screening Devices For Ports, Toll Booths
Standing on the dock of the NYC Passenger Terminal, US Senator Chuck Schumer today unveiled new legislation to address New York's severe vulnerability to a nuclear terrorist threat due to non-existent nuclear screening technology at the city's ports and toll booths.
Schumer discussed the risk of terrorists successfully placing a nuclear weapon onto a ship or a truck, and outlined the dire need for new technology to detect nuclear devices. Currently, lax inspection standards and poor detection technology means a terrorist group in possession of a nuclear device stands a decent chance of success at attempting to load the device onto a ship or a truck and bring that device directly into the city through the ports or through the city's bridges and tunnels.
"The idea of a truck containing a nuclear device in the center of our center is terrifying, but not impossible. It doesn't matter how good our airport security is if all it takes to bring a nuclear device right into midtown is putting it on a ship or bringing it in on a truck," Schumer said. "Right now, our ability to detect nuclear weapons brought in through our ports, bridges and tunnels is virtually zero. Once terrorists can get that kind of weapon right into the heart of the city, God only knows what could happen. The longer it takes to put new detection technology at our ports and toll booths, the longer it takes to institute better inspection procedures, standards and techniques, and new Customs agents in place, the greater the risk. And this is not a risk any of us can afford to take." Schumer's nuclear detection bill – The Anti-Nuclear Terrorism Prevention Act of 2002 – would mean stricter cargo reporting standards, increased penalties for unreported cargo, more manual inspections of cargo and merchandise, the purchase of over 100 new mobile X-ray scanning devices, and over $250 million to develop new technology to detect nuclear materials at ports and toll booths.
Specifically, the bill authorizes $250 million to develop nuclear screening and detection devices for ports and toll booths, including:
Equipment that detects explosives, chemical or biological agents that could be used to commit terrorist acts in the United States.
Equipment that accurately detects nuclear materials brought in on ships and trucks. The equipment would be installed on large cranes at ports and on toll booths.
Smart sensors that can track a cargo container throughout its entire supply chain to monitor whether anything has been added or changed over the course of the trip.
Smart sensors that can detect hazardous and radioactive materials within cargo containers and transmit that information to the authorities via satellite technology.
A network of sensors at each port and border crossing to predict the dispersion of radiological, chemical or biological agents.
Radiation detection monitors located throughout a port, as well as pilot projects to be implemented within one year to demonstrate and test the radiation monitor's effectiveness.
The bill also requires Customs to increase the number of manual inspections of merchandise carried on ships and on trucks, gives Customs $150 million to immediately purchase 100 new mobile scanning devices, and doubles penalties for ships who submit incorrect cargo data to Customs to $20,000 for each violation.
"Phase one was improving port security by hiring more inspectors, removing unessential personnel from key locations and generally heightening security measures in and around our ports," Schumer said. "That passed the Senate in December. Phase two is directly addressing the nuclear threat both at our ports and crossings, and that's exactly what this bill does. Even if we do a better job inspecting cargo, if we don't have the tools and the technology to identify a threat, we're still facing deep, deep trouble."
Schumer said that New York, home to the largest container port on the East Coast, is especially vulnerable. The Port of New York/ New Jersey handled 3 million cargo containers weighing 18.8 million tons in 2000 alone. It is home to nearly 10,000 ships every year, and is also the nation's largest petroleum port, handling more than 30 billion gallons of petroleum products and oil. According to a 1999 study by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the port provides more than 229,000 jobs and creates over $20 billion in annual economic activity.
Facilities in the Port of New York and New Jersey include the Brooklyn Piers and Red Hook Container Terminal, the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, the Howland Hook Marine Terminal on Staten Island, the Port Newark/ Port Elizabeth- Port Authority Marine complex, the Port Authority Auto Marine Terminal, the Global Marine Terminal, and the New York City Passenger Ship Terminal, which houses five 1,000 foot long berths for cruise ships. The entire port complex was shut for two days following the September 11 attacks, and all commercial operations at the Passenger Ship Terminal have been canceled since the September 11 tragedy ( the facility has since housed the command center for victims services). Since the September 11, Coast Guard officials have increased inspections of ships heading into the Port of New York/ New Jersey, but only some ships are inspected.
In addition, with countless numbers of trucks entering New York City every day, the possibility of one of them potentially containing an undetected nuclear devices is daunting. "When you can't tell what's coming in, you can't stop it from happening," Schumer said. "Thousands of trucks cross over our bridges and through our tunnels, and we have no way to detect what's in any of them. Hopefully, no one will ever attempt to smuggle a nuclear device into our port or over our border. But we know from September 11 that the terrorists are certainly going to try. And if we aren't prepared, if we don't have the technology to spot them and stop them, God only knows the trouble we'll face."
He's really good at exposing the lack of security in NYC, which is probably the only thing he's good at. Nonetheless, give credit where credit is due.
However, it's probably easier to defeat the enemy than to provide 100% security for any city, as any one, at any time, can blow up whatever they like. Only a totalitarian regime could mitigate it.
Perhaps, but...inspecting what is coming over our borders is a good idea, esp. when certain people want to nuke us.
Who cares? That's not really the point.
Hell, they elected this one to the U.S. Senate!
Just for New York. What about Norfolk and Richmond? NY isn't the only coastal state with ports, tunnels, and bridges near the border. Any such state wants the same thing.
A simple gyger counter is not enough. It's too easy to hide radiation. I will not spell it out in case some idiot is staching something nuclear.
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