House bill pushes seals for empty containers
Rep. Juanita Millender-McDonald, whose district includes the Port of Los Angeles-Long Beach, introduced a bill last week requiring the Department of Homeland Security to conduct a pilot program to seal empty containers, along with a $100,000 authorization to implement the case study.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and other agencies have primarily focused on import containers loaded with goods in which a terrorist could hide a bomb or other weapons based on the assumption that most empty containers are headed outbound and therefore pose little threat to the United States. But some security experts warn that terrorists could take advantage of lax security and plant a mass destruction weapon in a box circulating within the country.
Sen. Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii, earlier this year withdrew an amendment pushed by the International Longshore and Warehouse Union that would have required all empty, unsealed containers be physically inspected.
Under the “Secure Domestic Container Partnership Act of 2004,” DHS could designate shippers or any other party in the freight transportation network to secure containers using an approved seal.