7 February 2007

 

 

 

The National Retail Federation… urged a Senate Committee to reject efforts to attach a proposal for 100-percent scanning of U.S.-bound cargo to legislation implementing 9/11 Commission security recommendations.

 

The importers’ lobby group said lawmakers instead should support a scanning pilot program approved by Congress as part of the SAFE Port Act in 2006.

 

“This provision is unnecessary, unworkable, a poor use of limited resources and would threaten serious harm to global commerce and the U.S. economy,” said NRF Senior Vice President for Government Relations, Steve Pfister….

 

            The House version of the bill would go beyond the 9/11 Commission's recommendations by requiring within the next five years that 100 percent of U.S.-bound cargo be scanned before leaving foreign ports.

 

Pfister noted that cargo scanning was not one of the recommendations made by the 9/11 Commission….

 

Pfister said technology has not yet been developed to handle the flow of data from all-scanning, and that the cost of such as system would be prohibitive for many ports in poor countries, and threaten to cut off trade from those nations. He also said all-scanning would create supply-chains delays that would cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars.