Copyright 2001 FDCHeMedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Federal Document Clearing House Congressional
Testimony
September 20, 2001, Thursday
SECTION: CAPITOL HILL HEARING TESTIMONY
LENGTH: 2049 words
COMMITTEE:HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS
HEADLINE: AVIATION
SECURITY ISSUES
TESTIMONY-BY: NORMAN Y. MINETA,
SECRETARY
AFFILIATION: TRANSPORTATION
BODY: September 20, 2001
STATEMENT BY THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA SECRETARY OF
TRANSPORTATION
Before the
UNITED STATES SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEES ON
APPROPRIATIONS SUBCOMMITTEES ON TRANSPORTATION
Mr.
Chairman, Members of the Committee, it is with both sadness and resolve that I
appear before you today. Obviously, our lives, and the life of our nation,
changed dramatically as a result of the terrible attack of September 11.
Though we will never overcome the sorrow we feel for the
families and friends who lost loved ones, we will be able to ensure public
safety.
And, while it may take time to recreate
comfortable confidence in air travel, I assure this committee that we can-and
will--enjoy a transportation system that is safe, secure, and stable. The effort
being expended by the government, the carriers, airport authorities, local
police forces, and others on behalf of aviation will continue, and the traveling
public can count on this.
That is the President's
commitment, and I will marshal all resources of the Department of Transportation
to accomplish that fundamental goal.
I should begin by
taking this public opportunity to express my profound gratitude and pride in the
performance of the employees throughout the Department of Transportation. I want
to emphasize particularly my appreciation for the professionalism displayed by
the FAA from top-to-bottom since the attack. From Administrator Garvey on down,
the FAA has performed magnificently, as have other crucial players in our
Department, including the Coast Guard and all those who worked with the
well-prepared DOT Crisis Management Center.
I hope here
briefly to outline some of the key activities of our Department on September 11
and then to move to essential plans for our future.
On
the morning of September 11th, on first word of the attack, I moved directly to
the Presidential Emergency Operations Center in the White House. As soon as I
was aware of the nature and scale of the attack, I called from the White House
to order the air traffic system to land all aircraft, immediately and without
exception. That was an unprecedented step. But with the risk of additional
flights that might be used as terrorist weapons, I believe that it was the right
and necessary step to take.
In the moments that
followed my call, countless brave, tough, and smart Federal air traffic
controllers worked with courageous and calm pilots and flight crews to land over
4,500 aircraft. Though all these emergency landings were entirely unplanned,
they were safety and successfully accomplished. That was an historic feat in
crisis management, and it illustrated the magnificent skill of key players in
our transportation systems.
This Committee should also
be aware of the extraordinarily rapid response achieved with respect to all
modes of transportation throughout our country on September 11th.
Thanks to elaborate simulation and preparation, the
Department of Transportation's Crisis Management Center took only minutes to
kick into action. The first crash occurred at 8:46 am, and the Crisis Management
Center was fully operational--with secure lines of communication, initiation of
security procedures, and key contacts on line--by 9 am. Then, in a pre-planned
fashion, the Department rapidly secured thousands of transportation hubs and
corridors across the United States--including bridges and rail lines, roads and
harbors.
Of course, as we move forward, we must
dramatically alter our approach. As President Bush has said: the world has
changed. I add: so too has the very nature of our national transportation
system.
The events of the past several days require us
to take new steps to move people and commerce safely and efficiently, despite
the fact that the nature of the threat has clearly changed. It is a mission we
cannot afford to leave for a later time.
This
Administration is already moving to restore and enhance our air transportation
system. On September 13th, I announced the gradual restoration of flights within
the national airspace system. We took immediate steps to develop heightened
security measures to ensure the safety of airline passengers as well as people
on the ground.
All of the country's major airports have
resumed scheduled domestic commercial and cargo service operations, with the
exception of Reagan National Airport, which remains temporarily closed.
Scheduled passenger airline service is operating at about 78 percent of normal
levels. General aviation operations have also resumed except for visual flight
rules operations in the immediate vicinity of our nation's 30 largest airports.
We are currently increasing access to international commercial and general
aviation flights.
Because safety is of paramount
importance, I required that heightened security measures be in place before any
air service resumed. A thorough search and security check of all airplanes and
airports took place before passengers are allowed to enter and board
aircraft.
We discontinued curbside check-in at every
airport. We discontinued off-airport checking. We no longer allow passengers to
check in for their flights at hotels or other locations. All passengers are now
required to go to the ticket counters to check baggage. Only ticketed passengers
and authorized personnel are allowed to proceed past airport
screeners--well-wishers must stay out of the secured areas.
Let there be no doubt: we will soon be taking additional steps to
increase security beyond those already taken.
Now we
must deal more broadly with the aftermath of September 11th. We have already
turned toward development of long-term, sustainable security improvements within
our airports and on our aircraft to ensure American passengers are provided with
the highest possible levels of safety.
Consistent with
the strict security measures imposed upon startup last week, I announced on
Sunday the creation of two Rapid Response teams to make specific recommendations
for the further improvement of security within the national aviation system.
Their conclusions are due October 1, at the latest. One team is focusing on ways
to increase security at our nation's airports. The other is focusing on aircraft
integrity and security. Among those areas that will be addressed will be making
airport screening a more credible deterrent, expanding the Federal Air Marshal
program, and enhancing cockpit security. Both teams are now undertaking their
tasks with a sense of urgency.
As they work on these
teams, our own experts at the Federal Aviation Administration and Department of
Transportation will have input from a distinguished group of Americans with a
wide range of expertise in many different aspects of air transportation and law
enforcement.
I understand the complexity of these
issues, and I know there have been numerous studies on many of these issues. Yet
the larger context has changed dramatically. We now face a different security
threat not only in transportation, but in all aspects of American life. We have
to be willing to meet that changed threat with additional counter-measures, and
still find ways to keep our transportation systems the efficient and vital
circulation system of our economy. We must therefore judge our security options
in a different light than we might have judged them in the past.
What I expect now are good, unambiguous answers to the new questions
and heightened risks. The Department of Transportation has acted promptly in
response to the changed circumstances, and we will take further actions
promptly.
Broader Security Concerns
We also need to keep a broad perspective as we address both security
and commerce. The events of September 11th have focused media and public
attention almost exclusively on aviation, which is understandable. Yet, as Vice
President Cheney has noted, the odds are good that terrorists may use entirely
new lines of attack. The Department I am honored to direct is focusing on all
modes of transportation, including but not limited to airplanes and airports.
Thus, under authority from the Ports and Waterways Safety
Act, we have taken action to control the movement of all vessels in the
navigable waters of the United States.
All ports and
waterways have remained open and secure since Sept. 12 with very limited
exceptions. We put pipeline operators on alert. And with the resources provided
to the U.S. Coast Guard, it has performed with monumental efficiency.
In the New York City area, our employees have worked
selflessly for days to bring services back, provide alternative means of access
to the City, and, at the same time, guard against possible further acts of
terrorism.
I want to emphasize the over-arching threat
we now face. The new security measures we have already implemented -- and those
we will implement both publicly and discreetly -are not designed simply to deal
with threats of further attacks like those of September 11th.
For example, the President has asked our Department to help protect the
integrity of our nation's entire transportation infrastructure. And that is what
we are doing. But we also have to recognize that we have to meet the challenge
of new and different security threats not only in transportation, but throughout
our society.
We will have to take precautions in
transportation that we have never taken before, and we will have to do the same
in virtually every aspect of American life. We will find ways to preserve the
best of our transportation systems - the freedom of movement, the safe and
efficient movement of goods and people that is so necessary to our economy. We
will find ways to accomplish both heightened security and the benefits of
efficient transportation system.
Economic Response
I turn now to another critical topic--maintaining the air
transportation system in the face of severe financial problems. The current
situation in the airline industry is that access to credit markets is greatly
restricted and revenues dramatically diminished.
I
would emphasize that the task at hand is not to prop up. one or another of the
carriers. It is not to "make whole" the industry as if September 11th had never
occurred. Rather it is to recognize that this key part of the economy of this
country requires new foundations in security and confidence as solid as they
were once before. I believe the Federal Government has a responsibility for the
safety of the public, airline passengers and crews in particular, and to ensure
the foundation of security, insurance, and other necessities that will help this
key part of the U.S. economy function. This nation needs a vital, viable, and
competitive airline industry.
Accordingly, we are
proposing on an expedited basis an initial package to provide strength,
security, and confidence in air transportation.
Our
proposal includes:
0$3 billion to airlines to help
offset the substantial new costs they are incurring
because of tightened security requirements.
$5
billion in direct and immediate payments to airlines, roughly in proportion to
their size.
Authorization for the War
Risk Insurance Program to be invoked, at the President's discretion, in the
domestic arena as well as the international. Limited modifications to certain
aspects of collateral liability, in order to avert a near-term threat to the
continued availability of insurance coverage. The main purpose is to give us a
brief period of time in which to try to resolve that threat.
We have additional steps under consideration, some of would take
additional time to fully sort out. We believe that on the measures we are now
proposing, time is of the essence. We believe these proposals should move
forward immediately, and we would then have additional days to consider and to
consult with you on additional measures that may be needed.
I would like to close by taking this occasion to thank this Congress
for its swift, bipartisan action last week in providing needed supplemental
appropriations to get action underway across the Government. I look forward to
of working closely with each of you as we face and meet the challenges ahead.
This completes my prepared statement. I would be pleased
to respond to the Committee's questions.
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