LONDON: Lawmakers on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee fretted on Tuesday about the potential vulnerability of U.S. ports to dirty-bomb attacks, citing reports of recent attempts to smuggle radioactive material by terrorists that have been thwarted.
“The United States has an Exclusive Economic Zone spanning 3.5 million square miles, 95,000 miles of open shoreline, over 360 ports, and numerous small harbors across the country,” Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who is chairman of the panel’s Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, said during a hearing on port security on Tuesday.
“Our maritime border is unique compared to our land or air borders due to its sheer size and the potential ease of moving large quantities of materials undetected,” he continued. “Interdiction efforts are about more than the seized contraband. Understanding the pathways used by the smugglers is a critical part of the process.”
Democrats on the panel said they were worried about the potential for terrorist attacks at U.S. ports, calling for an increase in the amount of cargo that is screened when it comes off of ships that are docking at the nation’s freight terminals.
“When people ask me what keeps me up at night? A dirty bomb at the Port of Los Angeles,” Rep. Janice Hahn (D-Calif.) said. “Since 9/11, our nation has strengthened aviation security but our ports have not received the same scrutiny and remain incredible vulnerable to what could be a devastating attack.”
Hahn said only three percent of the cargo that is shipped through U.S. ports is scanned for contraband materials like explosive devices, despite a 2006 mandate from Congress that all packages be reviewed.
