TODAY'S COLUMNIST
By Bernard Groseclose
February 8, 2006

. . . Port security remains a critical issue in this post-September 11 world. International trade is growing at a phenomenal rate, and ports are struggling to keep up with demands on their facilities. With today's cargo volume level expected to at least double by 2020, adequate port infrastructure is a growing concern.

Responsibility for this infrastructure and its security is shared, principally between local public port authorities and the federal government. Public ports pay the lion's share, but it's imperative that the federal government uphold its end of the bargain to ensure that neither security concerns nor infrastructure constraints compromise the ability of U.S. ports to meet consumer demands in the future.

Federal law mandating port security enhancements set up a program in 2002 to help protect port facilities from terrorist attack. This program has been dramatically under-funded, leaving ports no choice but to pay the lopsided balance themselves to ensure that their facilities are safe and secure -- not only for the nearly 5 million Americans who earn their livelihoods in the maritime industry, but also for the urban communities near commercial seaports and for the well-being of the nation's economy, in which ports and goods movement play a critical role. The problem is, this has required ports to divert limited funds away from expanding port infrastructure in order to pay for hardening their facilities against terrorism.

While ports must remain safe and secure in the face of terrorist threats, they also must remain accessible. If the flow of cargo through U.S. ports bottlenecks at critical junctures, then transportation costs go up -- and consumers ultimately pay this price.

It is critically important that ports have sufficient infrastructure to meet growing trade demands. This includes access by both land (via highway connectors) and water (via federal navigation channels).

When navigation channels are not maintained, they might as well have orange construction cones and blinking "Lane Closed -- Merge Left" signs floating on the water. Imagine the traffic jams and long commutes that would occur if part of a major existing highway closed because there was no money to clear debris off . . .

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Blog Tags: Antiterrorism, Counterterrorism, Force Protection, Homeland Security, Maritime Security, Port Security