Department
of Homeland Security Announces $17.1 Million Award for Operation
Safe Commerce Container Cargo Security Program
WASHINGTON
— The Department of Homeland Security announced a $17.1
million award to the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey
and to the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach and Seattle/Tacoma to
strengthen the security of container cargo moving through three
of the nation’s largest load centers.
These grants
were awarded under the third phase of Operation Safe Commerce,
a program through which ports, federal, state, and local governments,
and private businesses work together to identify, test, and share
information about commercially available technologies and best
business practices to improve the security of the supply chain.
“Operation
Safe Commerce takes a partnership approach to developing innovative
new ways for ports to track and protect cargo entering the United
States from all over the world,” said Matt A. Mayer, Acting
Executive Director of the Office of State and Local Government
Coordination and Preparedness. “Through this effort, we
are adding another layer of security to raise our level of port
protection and fulfill our commitment to securing our homeland
against all threats of terrorism, whether from air, land, or
sea.”
The awards
announced are: $6.7 million to the Ports of Los Angeles/Long
Beach; $5.2 million to the Ports of Seattle/Tacoma; and $5.2
million to the Port Authority of New York/New Jersey. Prior to
these new awards, the three load centers have received a total
of $55 million under Operation Safe Commerce, including a total
of $13.7 million for Los Angeles/Long Beach, $27.5 million for
Seattle/Tacoma; and $13.8 million for New York/New Jersey.
Operation Safe
Commerce is administered by the Department of Homeland Security’s
Office of State and Local Government Coordination and Preparedness
(SLGCP) in cooperation with an inter-agency steering committee,
which ensures that grant funds are used to address priority vulnerabilities
and support the results of testing conducted during the different
phases of the program.
SLGCP is the
Department of Homeland Security’s primary source of assistance
for state, local, and collaborative initiatives to improve the
nation’s ability to prevent, prepare for, and respond to
terrorism. Members of the inter-agency steering committee include
the Departments of Transportation, State, Defense, and Commerce,
and four components of the Department of Homeland Security: the
U.S. Coast Guard; the Border and Transportation Security Directorate;
Customs and Border Protection; and the Transportation Security
Administration.