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Governor Pataki Announces New Partnership to Protect Cargo Security

From the NY State Offce of the Governor, December 2, 2004

Program Will Help Ensure Integrity of Containerized Goods, Free-Flow of Commerce

Governor George E. Pataki today announced that New York State was entering into partnership with the U.S. Attorneys of the Northern District of New York, Vermont and New Hampshire in Phase II of the Canada-United States Cargo Security Project to improve the security of international freight entering New York while maintaining open borders and facilitating commerce.

"We have made great strides with our sister states and Canadian provinces in protecting citizens on both sides of the border," Governor Pataki said. "But the war on terrorism knows no boundaries. That is why our participation in this multinational and multistate project is so vital. It will help protect New Yorkers by ensuring the integrity of incoming containerized goods while maintaining the free flow of commerce and our economic vitality.

"Safeguarding New Yorkers is always our first priority, so we must continue to explore new avenues to improve security in New York and maintain our vigilance against threats," the Governor said.

The Governor made the announcement at this morning's opening of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Northern Border Conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Albany. Governor Pataki and DHS Under Secretary Asa Hutchinson addressed the more than 100 homeland security and law enforcement officials from six states: New York, Maine, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Vermont, as well as Canadian law enforcement officials, who were in attendance at the daylong session to focus on a wide range of border security issues.

New York State shares a common 450-mile-long international border with Canada. Annually, more than 2 million truck and rail car shipments come through the six ports with Canada.

Given that 90 percent of the world's commerce spends a portion of its life in containerized shipping, the first phase of this security initiative was designed to accomplish three objectives:

The evaluation of the international supply chain for a container shipped from a voluntary New England shipper.

The review of currently available container tracking and security technologies.

The field-testing through the public-private partnership of the tracking and security sensing capabilities of a single shipment originating in Slovakia and entering the United States at the Highgate Springs (Vt.) border crossing.

The second phase of this project will build on the success of the Phase I initiative and expand its capabilities to test both technology and critical information flow among the two Nations' Federal, state, provincial and local security agencies, private security sectors and across international boundaries.

Specifically, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, and the Province of Quebec will join with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories and the National Infrastructure Institute Center of Infrastructure Expertise to test radiation detection capabilities and real-time data transmission as well as to provide the opportunity for a simulation.

James W. McMahon, Director of the New York State Office of Homeland Security said, "A significant goal of this phase of the project will be to assess the extent that law enforcement and private security professionals can share real-time information."

The study routes will include a range of intermodal transport options from Canadian ports to commercial businesses in the United States and Canada.

Plans for security enhancements will be developed for each route. The effectiveness of those security measures for each supply route will then be evaluated. ###

Read Article at State of New York Office of The Governor Press Release website