REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE
NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION
ASCE
INFRASTRUCTURE SECURITY FOR THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
WASHINGTON,
D.C.
NOVEMBER 5,
2002
NOON
Thank you, Gerry, for that very nice introduction.
And thank you for inviting me to share a few thoughts with everyone here
today.
This past year has been one full of both sorrows and triumphs. It was a year when more than 3,000 innocent people were murdered by terrorists on U.S. soil. And it was a year when many ordinary people did some very extraordinary things in an effort to save other human beings.
We have witnessed the heroics of thousands of fire and
police personnel, and other emergency responders to the September 11 outrage.
Their stories are the stuff of legends, and will be passed down through
many generations to come.
But America also needs to hear about your story that day.
They need to hear, for example, about those of you who
assessed the damage to the complex network of lines and pipes that intersected
under the Trade Center, limiting damage to water and electrical systems, and
shutting off and isolating the gas system to prevent collateral fire damage.
They need to hear about those of you who prevented even
more death and destruction by advising rescue workers operating heavy equipment
directly above the concourse and shopping levels, and recommending to rescue
workers the safest ways in and out of the rubble.
And, they need to hear how civil engineers who designed the buildings to minimize the casualties in the event of an extreme event like September 11 will be applying data from this catastrophe to future blueprints, making the buildings of the 21st Century safer still.
To be sure, without the engineering skills and know-how
that went into the building designs of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon,
hundreds more would have perished in the Pentagon and tens of thousands more in
the World Trade Center.
Let me take this opportunity to thank you.
We will never know how many other casualties are averted every day due to
the skills of the engineers of not only our buildings, but our roads, our
bridges, our railways, and more.
And on behalf of President Bush and Vice President Cheney,
I would like to acknowledge and thank your membership for the leadership they
have shown in creating The Infrastructure Security Partnership in the wake of
the September 11 attacks.
This
organization is to be commended for its proactive role in addressing
infrastructure vulnerability and developing nationally coordinated and
integrated strategies for mitigating the effects of natural and man-made
disasters on critical elements of the nation's infrastructure.
The tragedy of September 11th taught us many lessons.
One important lesson is that we, at the Department of Transportation and
throughout the Federal Government, must build a stronger relationship with
engineers.
I would like to take this opportunity today to begin the
process of building that relationship by giving you an update on the various
pieces of the transportation security puzzle to show you what we are doing to
make the world a safer, more secure place to live, and to travel about.
Now, I’m sure many of you have heard about the report put
out recently by former Senators Warren Rudman and Gary Hart.
This is a very thorough report and I’m happy to see that they
recognized our advances in aviation. And, of course, we all recognize that much remains to be
done.
However -- and you knew the “however” was coming --
however, the report was created with information gathered earlier this year.
In the fast-paced world of security in a post-9/11 world,
much of that information has changed.
So, let me update you.
I’ll start with aviation.
Last week, we federalized the Boise Airport in Idaho, which was the last
of the Nation’s 100 largest airports to deploy federal passenger screeners.
Today, fully ninety-percent of America's flying public pass
through airports that are staffed with top-notch federal screeners.
And this new federal security workforce is more highly trained and meets
higher standards than ever before.
Does this training really make a difference?
Former private screeners bound for Oklahoma's airports think so.
Phillip Allen, who used to work at the Oklahoma City
airport, had this to say about the new system.
"It's daylight and dark. You have to forget everything you were taught in the private
sector. It's a different way of
doing things."
November 19th is the deadline for all participating
commercial airports to be federalized, and it looks like we will beat that
deadline. November 19th is also the
anniversary of the creation of the new Transportation Security Administration,
also known as TSA.
We were given one
year to build a brand new agency from whole cloth — and not just any agency,
but the largest U.S. government agency since World War II.
In just one year,
we will have recruited, hired, trained and deployed more than 50,000 employees
for this new federal agency. These
employees are primarily federal security screeners, who will work in more than
400 commercial airports located in all 50 states and our U.S. protectorates.
And they are a
diverse group. Fully 39
percent of its members throughout the United States are minorities — a much
higher percentage than the general workforce.
We are building the TSA so that it may serve as the core
for President Bush’s new Department of Homeland Security. This new department will help the President, and our Nation,
to achieve the highest level of security possible.
Aviation security is not our only concern, however. We are also working hard to enhance the security of America's ports and waterways, and on land, to protect bridges, highways, passenger and freight rails, mass transit, and even the pipelines that carry natural gas and fuel.
For example, the Federal Railroad Administration, or FRA,
works closely on a daily basis with the Association of American Railroads, both
freight and passenger rail carriers, labor unions, rail suppliers, as well as
local, state and other federal agencies to ensure the safety and security of the
railroad industry. And we regularly
share security bulletins and other intelligence information with many of these
groups.
Immediately following September 11th, we convened an industry-wide security teleconference to discuss and identify measures designed to enhance railroad security. As a result, the railroad industry formed six critical action teams to examine security in the following areas:
Physical assets including bridges and tunnels;
Information Technology systems;
Chemical and Hazardous Materials;
Department of Defense shipments;
Train Operations; and
Rail passenger systems.
These critical action teams have presented classified
reports to the Office of Homeland Security and the DOT Office of Security and
Intelligence outlining both near-term and long-term options for enhancing the
security of the U.S. railroad network.
As for the Nation’s waterways and seaports, we have
distributed $92.3 million in port security grants as authorized by Congress.
The next round of port security grants will be announced shortly.
Since we know ports are critical to the economic vitality
of this Nation and our national security, we are very fortunate to have retired
U.S. Coast Guard Admirals Jim Loy and Richard Bennis at the helm of the TSA.
We are working with other government agencies and the
private sector, to ensure the safety, security, and efficiency of the supply
chain — our economy depends on our success in achieving this delicate balance.
Overarching all of these modes of transportation is the
issue of container security. We
have an intermodal task force, created within days of the September 11th
attacks, that has been working on this issue.
In addition, we are looking at infrastructure issues that
reach all modes.
For example, the Office of Maritime and Land Security at
TSA has established a Division of Infrastructure Security.
This Division will set standards for physical security at ports and for
national priority bridges including retrofit and new construction standards.
TSA will also work with the Federal Transit Administration
to determine the appropriate protection standards and response plans for mass
transit security.
Last, I’d like to touch on our Research and Special
Programs Administration, also known as RSPA, which regulates pipeline safety.
Our years of experience keeping pipelines safe from accidental damage are directly applicable to any damage that would be caused on purpose.
Since 9/11, RSPA and the operators of the Nation’s
pipelines have together developed security standards and guidance for how to
protect this critical infrastructure. In
addition, the pipeline industry is now in the loop for security alerts.
As a result of this planning, when the threat level is
changed, operators know what they should do to provide additional protection to
their pipelines.
Another very important issue for us as we head into 2003 is the reauthorization of the Transportation Equity Act, or as we call it, TEA-21, the underlying legislation that authorizes surface transportation programs. This legislation focuses on five specific areas of interest in the transportation arena:
Funding levels, Safety, Mobility and system upgrading, New
technologies, and Protecting the environment.
I believe it is very important that we hear what you have
to say since we are writing a law that will stand for another six years.
We want to build on the successes of TEA-21 and its predecessor, ISTEA.
And, of course, we want to add a new, solid layer of security for surface
transportation.
Even though we have already begun drafting the legislation
that we expect to deliver to Congress early next year, we are still open to your
comments and suggestions.
We encourage you to visit www.dot.gov and provide your comments, and read the other posted comments.
In closing, I would like you to know that we recognize the
importance of engineering in keeping our citizens safe.
Virtually all our security solutions will involve the innovative thinking
engineers bring to the table.
Our transportation system is more secure today than it was
September 11th, more secure than it was even yesterday, and it will be even more
secure tomorrow.
Thank you, again, for inviting me here today. Travel safely. God bless you all. And God bless America.
# # #