Transportation

Foreign companies line up to bid on Midway airport
Earlier this year the firestorm over a Dubai-based company’s plans to run operations in several U.S. ports caused many to rethink the question of foreign ownership of U.S. critical infrastructure assets; still, as the city of Chicago is getting set to lease its Midway airport, all the likely bidders are non-U.S. companies
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Airports security measure may spread foot fungus -- and more
Taking off shoes may help in increasing airline security, but study now finds that it exposes passengers to other risks such as foot fungus and gonorrhea
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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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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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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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Savi Networks teams with Georgia's MLIC to track cargo
California company helps Georgia ports and terminals with tracking cargo with their real-time monitoring services
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ExxonMobil Massachusetts fuel depot shut down after illegal aliens found working there
Worries about the safety of super tankers carrying oil at Boston Harbor combine with unease about illegal immigration, as more than a dozen illegal immigrants are arrested while being used at the harbor for clean-up of hazardous material (what is more, the subcontractor also violated the law requiring protective gear to be worn during such operation)
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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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Australia considers sole-source Global Hawk purchase
UAVs are increasingly popular among militaries, homeland security agencies, and law enforcements units; the Australian government is on the verge of making a major UAV purchasing decision, and there are four companies competing for the contract and three options on how to buy the drones
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New container security standard organization created
As cargo container security moves to center stage, there is a need for standards to govern the technology and its implementation; a new consortium of industry heavy-weights aims to do just that
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Unisys joins Boeing’s team for SBInet bid
Defense contractors continue to pay increasing attention to homeland security contracts, and IT solution big hitter joining defense giant’s team to bid on lucrative border security contract
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Kvichak/ Manitowoc partnership in $600 million contract to build new Coast Guard boats
A partnership of two ship builders win a coveted $600 million contract to replace the aging fleet of the U.S. Coast Guard (240 of its boats entered service more than 30 years ago); the new boat design — by a Scottish design company — will allow the boats both to withstand stormy seas and give chase at 50 mph
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