Ground / Mass transportation

L-3 teams with DHS in RSP program
New York-based L-3 Communications again joins DHS in its rail security program; this time around the program will be using L-3 technology to scan riders in New Jersey for explosives
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Ability to switch between fuels on-the-fly successfully demonstrated
One way to prepare for a disaster is to make sure your power generators can quickly switch from one fuel to another; a Connecticut company successfully demonstrates that it can be done
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Illinois joins TSA’s HAZPRINT program
Illinois’ DMV joins TSA’s HAZPRINT program which allows TSA to collect fingerprint and demographics for drivers transporting hazardous materials
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DHS funds for New York City are cut, but Long Island shuttle service continues to receive money
DHS cut anti-terror fund for New York City by $83 million, but a shuttle service connecting New York to the Hamptons, continues to receive funding for security improvements; some question the order of priorities here
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Explosive detection systems installed in truck weighing stations
A new market opportunity opens up for explosive detection systems: truck weighing stations
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DHS adds $10 million to antiterror programs of NYC transportation system
DHS received a lot of criticism for cutting more than $80 million from New York City’s antiterrorism grants; the department has now added $10 million to the city’s transportation system’s security plan
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U.S. Department of Energy pushes for cellulosic ethanol as an alternative to gasoline
Many experts doubt the scientific validity of the effort to create useable fuel for transportation from cellulosic ethanol (they suggest that a much quicker, cheaper, and more effective way to produce ethanol for cars would be, first, to produce it from sugar rather than corn and, second, to reduce dramatically the tariffs on Brazilian ethanol) – nonetheless the Department of Energy issues an ambitious roadmap for ethanol production from biomass
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Ryder offer RydeSmart trucks
One way to secure the safety of ship-borne freight containers is to lock them with tamper-proof locks, monitor the inside of the container for any changes and disruptions, and use GPS to track them all the way from port of origin to port of destination; Ryder now brings the same idea to monitoring the company’s fleet of 160,000 vehicles; these measures will go some way toward improving the safety of food supplies carried on these trucks from field to store
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Oshkosh Trucks acquires AK Specialty Vehicles
A maker of specialty vehicles for law enforcement and homeland security acquires a specialist in medical and command and control trucks to augment its offering
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TWIC hobbeled by politics-as-usual in Congress
Pork-barrel politics is as old as politics; still, the length to which one Kentucky congressman went to make sure that his home district and donors to his political campaigns benefit from an important DHS program, ,ay appear excessive; to say nothing of the damage the “bring home the bacon” approach did to the program, and to U.S. port security
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U.S. Air Force to experiment with chepaer synthetic fueld for planes
The U.S. Air Force consumes more than half of all the fuel consumed by the U.S. government; the service’s 2005 bill for jet fuel exceeded $4.7 billion; now the Air Force has decided to do something about (the Army is participating)
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Tupelo airport joins SPP
TSA has established the Screening Partnership Program (SPP) o allow airports to use private contractors for screening; Tupelo has joined five other airports already in the system, contracting a Virgnia company to run screening operations
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InfoZen wins large TSA contract
Maryland company wins contract to support TSA transportation worker program
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Industry: TWIC will cost thousands of jobs
The implementation of new ID cards has some worried that illegal immigrants and individuals with criminal convictions who now hold transportation positions may lose their job
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Analysis: Rail industry caught between cities, federal, and chemical industry preferences
This is another case of security as a public good, and who should pay for it: The rail industry is caught between different forces pushing in different directions on the issue of transporting hazardous chemicals; as more and more cities move to reroute shipments of such materials unless they are destined for the city, the issue will come to a head sooner rather than later
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