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U.S. Homeland Security Department Institutes New Cargo Rules
In an effort to prevent terrorists from bringing weapons of mass destruction into the United States, the U.S. Homeland Security Department yesterday announced new security rules for the trucking, air cargo and railway industries, the Washington Post reported (see GSN, Sept.2). Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said the rules provide a balance between the need for greater security and a sensitivity to the tight timetables used by the cargo transportation industry. “We could pass regulation that would so tightly constrict commerce that our economy would slow to a crawl,” Ridge said. “That would be a terrorist’s dream,” he added. The new regulations mandate that the Homeland Security Bureau of Customs and Border Protection receive data on shipments before they reach U.S. borders, with the amount of required advanced notice dependent on the mode of transportation. The information will be sent to the National Targeting Center in Northern Virginia where 175 analysts will pore over the incoming data and try to identify suspect shipments for inspection. “They’ll look for trends and red flags,” Ridge said. The American Trucking Associations said yesterday that the new rules will cause delays and confusion at U.S. border crossings (Mintz/Phillips, Washington Post, Nov. 21). Ridge said, however, that the notice on shipments is essential for security efforts. “Advance information is a cornerstone in our efforts to secure our nation’s borders and ensure the flow of trade,” he said. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Robert Bonner called the new regulations “bold but necessary” (U.S. Homeland Security Department release, Nov. 20). The United States and the European Union, meanwhile, have agreed to form a joint working group to address the possible expansion of the U.S. Container Security Initiative throughout Europe. In 2002 the European Commission criticized eight EU members for joining the CSI program as individual states (U.S. State Department release, Nov. 20).
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