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Hearing to Focus on Dirty Bomb Prevention & Response at U.S. Ports

Washington, DC, October 23, 2015 | Justin Harclerode (202) 225-9446
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The Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Subcommittee, chaired by U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA), will hold a hearing next week on efforts to prevent and respond to the potential arrival of a dirty bomb at a U.S. port.

The United States relies on ocean transportation for 95 percent of cargo tonnage that moves in and out of the country.  The 361 U.S. ports that receive this cargo connect to a vast transportation network throughout the interior of the country.  The ability to quickly transfer cargo from ships to trucks or railcars has been viewed as a possible conduit and target for terrorist activities.  While the Department of Homeland Security has previously reported that the likelihood of a terrorist smuggling weapons of mass destruction into the country in shipping containers is low, the consequences of such an attack – revenue losses, loss of lives, and disruption in manufacturing and other economic activities – are potentially high.   

The Subcommittee hearing, entitled, “Prevention of and Response to the Arrival of a Dirty Bomb at a U.S. Port,” is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 27, 2015, in 2167 Rayburn House Office Building.

Witness List:

Panel I

  • Rear Admiral Peter J. Brown, Assistant Commandant for Response Policy, United States Coast Guard
  • Dr. Huban Gowadia, Director, Domestic Nuclear Detection Office
  • Mr. Todd Owen, Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection
  • Mr. David C. Maurer, Director, Justice and Law Enforcement Issues, Homeland Security and Justice Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office 

    Panel II

  • Mr. Gregory H. Canavan, Senior Fellow, Los Alamos National Laboratories
  • Mr. Charles A. (Gus) Potter, Distinguished Member of the Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories
  • Mr. Joe Lawless, Chairman, Security Committee, American Association of Port Authorities
  • Mr. Stephen Flynn, Ph.D., Director, Center for Resilience Studies, Northeastern University

    More information about the hearing, including testimony, additional background information, and link to live webcast, will be posted here as it becomes available. 

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