Taking action on a measure that will improve the safe and secure transportation and delivery of compressed and liquefied natural gas to U.S. shores, the U.S. House of Representatives late Thursday night passed S. 1214, the ‘Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002’ by a voice vote. The bipartisan legislation establishes a comprehensive national system to increase anti-terrorism security at hundreds of U.S. ports and waterways.

The bill, negotiated by House and Senate members as a compromise to the two separate maritime security bills that were approved earlier by the two chambers, will now go up for the President’s signature.

U.S. Rep. Don Young (R-AK), chairman of the Transportation Committee touted the legislation, stating that “this is one of the most important security bills congress has ever approved. The United States has 95,000 miles of coastline that must be patrolled and hundreds of ports and waterways that need to be protected from terrorist attacks. Port security is a major and essential component of our national Homeland Security program.”

“Our port security bill deters terrorist attacks without adversely affecting U.S. commerce,” said U.S. Rep. Frank LoBiondo (R-NJ), chairman of the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Committee. “The goal of our port security legislation is to deter terrorist attacks against ocean shipping without adversely affecting the flow of U.S. commerce through our ports. Striking this balance has been a key element of my approach to the issue and this bill achieves this goal.”

The new law would expand the existing ‘Deepwater Ports Act’, creating a regulatory infrastructure for the safe and secure transport and delivery of natural gas in a compressed or liquefied form to offshore terminals in the United States.

“In addition to establishing a number of programs including a Port Security Task Force to enhance safety and security for United States seaports, today’s action also enhances our energy security,” said Paul Britton, managing director for EnerSea Transport LLC, which provides a total delivery solution for transporting remote gas supplies to energy-hungry markets. “By creating a mechanism that allows the transport and delivery of clean burning natural gas to the U.S. by CNG methods, we will help meet our growing demand for energy and ensure the availability of tremendous resources for the future.”

Britton added that policymakers and industry planners to date have focused their efforts on LNG from Alaska and abroad, pipeline gas from Alaska’s North Slope and Canada, and gas from the deepwater Gulf of Mexico to help meet the country growing appetite for gas. He said the enactment of S.1214 will open the door for the transportation of CNG supplies from the Cook Inlet in Alaska, East Coast Canada, the Caribbean and South America for delivery into the United States through offshore deepwater ports, thereby unlocking enormous amounts of currently stranded natural gas.

“We have developed a cost effective total delivery solution for transporting remote and stranded gas supplies to the marketplace,” Britton said. “Today’s action takes us one step closer to applying our innovative CNG technology to access vital untapped gas reserves and help meet a rapidly increasing energy demand in the U.S. — a value to citizens nationwide.”

The Maritime Transportation Security Act of 2002:

The bill also contains several security enhancements and other Coast Guard provisions previously passed by the House, but not considered by the Senate, including:

“During my chairmanship, I have long said that the Coast Guard needs three things to be successful – more money, more manpower and more modern assets,” LoBiondo said. “Fortunately, this measure addresses all three needs and will help the Coast Guard to keep serving America proudly and successfully.

©Copyright 2002 Intelligence Press Inc. Allrights reserved. The preceding news report may not be republishedor redistributed, in whole or in part, in any form, without priorwritten consent of Intelligence Press, Inc.