Senator Unveils Port Security Demonstration
U.S. Senator Patty Murray joined with TSA, Coast Guard, Customs, and port officials to demonstrate a new port security initiative that improves the security of cargo entering the United States while maintaining the efficiency of international commerce and transportation. While the majority of the post-September 11th security improvements have focused on airports and borders, 6 million containers enter U.S. ports annually, including 1.8 million into the Ports of Seattle and Tacoma. "In Washington state, seaports are the lifeblood of our region's economy. Our ports move billions of dollars of goods each year and generate tens of thousands of good-paying, family-wage jobs across our state," Murray said.
TSA Awards Grants for Securing Ports, Cargo
Nearly $5 million in Transportation Security Administration grants to Louisiana ports on the Mississippi River includes $824,000 for risk assessments that will help local officials identify security vulnerabilities and develop plans to foil terrorism, TSA said today at a news conference of those responsible for security at the Port of South Louisiana in Reserve. Steven Froehlich, the National Manager for Stakeholder Relations, said that those mitigation plans also lay the foundation for ports to continually make improvements and to employ new security technologies. "Simply put, we are acting to protect cargo from terrorists, and to prevent suspicious cargo from entering our country," Froehlich said. Froehlich noted that several agencies, including the U.S. Coast Guard, U.S.
