House Homeland Security Committee News

Texas ranks third among all states for domestic maritime jobs with Houston ranked second among all U.S. cities for its contribution to the U.S. maritime industry, according to a new study PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) for the Transportation Institute and released by the American Maritime Partnership (AMP), the voice of the U.S. domestic maritime industry. The domestic maritime industry, comprised of the vessels which move cargoes between American ports, pumps $8 billion annually into the Texas economy, and provides 39,190 Texas maritime jobs, with $2.3 billion in worker income.

Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) this week received the 2013 Champion of Maritime Award from the American Maritime Partnership (AMP), a group representing the domestic maritime industry in New York and across the United States. AMP provides the prestigious annual award to recognize an individual who has displayed extraordinary dedication to and consistent support for the American maritime industry. As a member and former chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee, Rep.

Two recent reports have raised alarms about the security of our ports and the cargo that enters them by containers every day. The top North American container ports handle more than 35 million containers per year bringing vital goods to U.S. homes and companies every day. Without this freight, our economy would be at a standstill. But one nuclear device placed into a shipping container could wreak havoc not just at the port it enters, but also with the surrounding population of our busiest ports such as New York/New Jersey, Los Angeles, and Long Beach.

At a briefing held Wednesday at the Port of Houston Authority, U.S. McCaul chose the port as the site to host the briefing on security and emergency preparedness to illustrate the importance of the Port of Houston to the nation's economy and energy security. The Port of Houston is home to the largest petrochemical manufacturing complex in the United States and second largest in the world. McCaul met with Port of Houston Authority officials as well as Houston, Harris County and…

The House Homeland Security Committee today approved needed reforms to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program that would eliminate financial and logistical burdens faced by transportation workers under this federal security program. The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) supports language in the Securing Maritime Activities through Risk-based Targeting Act, known as the SMART Port Security Act (H.R.4251), which would postpone requiring workers to renew TWIC cards in the absence of Department of Homeland Security (DHS) final regulations mandating biometric card readers. The bill also includes essential reforms to the enrollment, activation, issuance and renewal process.

The House Judiciary Committee approved the Fiscal Year 2008 authorization bill for the U.S. Coast Guard. The legislation has already cleared the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Prior to final approval, the Judiciary Committee added language strengthening the Coast Guard’s ability to combat maritime smugglers of illegal immigrants and would rachet up security at ports and liquefied natural gas facilities. It would also increase funding for the Coast Guard’s controversial Project Deepwater program designed to modernize its fleet. The addition of $229m for the program would restore deepwater acquisition funding to its F.Y. 2007 level of $1.2b.

The House Homeland Security Committee conducted a hearing entitled Securing LNG Tankers to Protect the Homeland. Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) stated that he was concerned about the significant increase in LNG imports and the increased safety and security risks related thereto. Mr. Jim Wells, Government Accountability Office (GAO), testified that the public safety consequences of a liquefied natural gas spill need clarification. Rear Admiral Brian M. Salerno, USCG explained the Coast Guard’s role in LNG security. Mr. H. Keith Lesnick, Maritime Administration (MARAD) discussed the agency’s efforts to have US mariners on board LNG tankers calling at US ports. Mr.

natural gas (LNG) carriers. congressional and administrative oversight over the last few years. address this issue. securing LNG tankers. well, working with Excelerate and other LNG operators. certifications for loading and discharging LNG. officers will join Excelerate's international fleet of LNG vessels.

Annual funding to protect the perimeters of New York's and New Jersey's ports will be boosted nearly fourfold, the Department of Homeland Security was to announce Monday. The increase, from $6.6 million to $25.7 million, follows a public outcry sparked in June, when the agency decided to slash New York City's share of terror grants for cities by 40 percent, or $83 million. The new money is meant to help ports guard against attacks by land or sea but is not designed to pay for cargo screening or container inspections. The change in funding was confirmed Sunday by Rep. Peter King, R-Long Island, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee. In justifying their decision to cut New York's share, federal authorities said their review process found no national monuments or icons in the city.

Republicans on the House Homeland Security Committee have postponed work on the fiscal 2007 Homeland Security Department authorization bill, prompting heated criticism from Democrats who say the move might undermine the committee's credibility and prevent the measure from being completed this year. According to a committee aide, Republican committee leaders say the delay is temporary while they work to pass a maritime security bill. All 15 Democrats on the panel fired off a letter Thursday to Homeland Security Chairman Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., opposing the move. The committee did the first-ever authorization bill for Homeland Security last year, which overwhelmingly passed out of the House by a 424-4 vote.

According to reports, the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee urged the White House on to reconsider approval of a sale that would give a company in the United Arab Emirates control over significant operations at six American ports. Other U.S. lawmakers have expressed concerns about the sale's implications for maritime security. The Associated Press reported Saturday that government-owned Dubai Ports World had won approval for the $6.8 billion deal from a secretive U.S. panel that considers security risks of foreign companies buying or investing in American industry. Critics have complained that control over port operations by DP World could endanger U.S. security. They cite the UAE's history as an operational and financial base for the hijackers who carried out the Sept.