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Retailers urge congress to support cargo scanning pilot program
07 Feb '07
3 min read
The House provision is essentially the same language rejected repeatedly by both the House and Senate during last year's debate of the SAFE Port Act, a broad port security bill signed into law by President Bush in October. Lawmakers concluded that 100 percent foreign scanning was unworkable because of technical challenges and lack of resources in many ports.
Instead, the final bill required that pilot programs be established at a minimum of three foreign ports within a year (six have already been established), and that 22 U.S. ports establish procedures to examine 100 percent of inbound containers. It required continuation of current screening of all cargo to identify high- risk containers, and set a goal of 100 percent cargo container scanning after the Department of Homeland Security determines scanning is practical.
Pfister said technology has not yet been developed to interpret and examine the vast flow of data that would come from 100 percent scanning, and that implementation of such a system would cost tens of billions of dollars even once the technology is established. Many ports in poorer countries do not have the financial resources to comply, effectively cutting off trade with countries struggling to enter the global economy.
The requirement would also divert resources for higher-priority security needs, and has not been supported by the international trade community or law enforcement agencies, he said. Finally, 100 percent scanning would create delays in global commerce that would cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars.
Instead, the final bill required that pilot programs be established at a minimum of three foreign ports within a year (six have already been established), and that 22 U.S. ports establish procedures to examine 100 percent of inbound containers. It required continuation of current screening of all cargo to identify high- risk containers, and set a goal of 100 percent cargo container scanning after the Department of Homeland Security determines scanning is practical.
Pfister said technology has not yet been developed to interpret and examine the vast flow of data that would come from 100 percent scanning, and that implementation of such a system would cost tens of billions of dollars even once the technology is established. Many ports in poorer countries do not have the financial resources to comply, effectively cutting off trade with countries struggling to enter the global economy.
The requirement would also divert resources for higher-priority security needs, and has not been supported by the international trade community or law enforcement agencies, he said. Finally, 100 percent scanning would create delays in global commerce that would cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars.
National Retail Federation, USA
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