TWIC: Is it Worth the Trip? GAO Reports, Congressional Committees Find TWIC Program Has Failed to Meet Security Goals By Jennifer A. Carpenter Sr. Vice President-National Advocacy American Waterways Operators
T
he Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) program was established by the Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002 and designed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The requirement for transportation workers who need access to secure areas of vessels and facilities to carry a TWIC took effect in April 2009. The TWIC is an idea that sounded good in theory to a post 9-11 Congress and general public, but has failed in its practicality. The practical implementation of an identification credentialing program covering nearly 2 million American maritime and other transportation workers, a one-size-fits-all solution to heightened
concerns about the security of our nation’s transportation infrastructure, is coming under increasing criticism – not just from industry, but from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and Congress. Recently, even TSA Administrator John Pistole acknowledged the program’s shortcomings in testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee. There is no question that the TWIC program needs fixing. As Congress and DHS consider what that fix should look like, they should seek to reduce the burdens the TWIC program places on American workers and businesses, as well as tighten up security vulnerabilities in the program. A case in point is the cumbersome enrollment and activation process, which requires
mariners and other transportation workers – who may live or work hundreds of miles from the nearest TWIC enrollment center – to make two trips to a designated TWIC enrollment center; one to apply for the TWIC, and one to pick it up.
GAO Assessment of Mailing TWICs Considers Only Half the Story The two-trip requirement has attracted the attention of Congress. The 2010 Coast Guard Authorization Act directed the Government Accountability Office to study the feasibility of mailing TWICs to applicants’ homes. In April 2011, GAO published a report that was disappointing for the limited scope of its assessment. GAO concluded that delivering TWICs to applicants by mail, while feasible, would be inconsistent with a DHS policy decision that the TWIC enrollment process
BARGES: The Greener Way to Go Inland barges produce less carbon dioxide while moving America’s important cargoes.
Inland barge transportation produces far fewer emissions of carbon dioxide for each ton of cargo moved. Transport by rail emits 39% more CO2, and by truck emits 371% more CO2 compared to barges, according to a recent study by the Texas Transportation Institute.
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2011 Issue IV