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GAO-12-494R 1 (2012-04-06)

handle is hein.gao/gaobacfxz0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Accountabiliy - Integrity - Reliability United States Government Accountability Office Washington, DC 20548 April 6, 2012 The Honorable John D. Rockefeller, IV Chairman Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation United States Senate The Honorable John L. Mica Chairman Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives The Honorable Frank A. LoBiondo Chairman, Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure House of Representatives Subject: Maritime Security: Coast Guard Efforts to Address Port Recovery and Salvage Response According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ports, waterways, and vessels are part of an economic engine handling more than $700 billion in merchandise annually, and a major disruption to this system could have a widespread impact on global shipping, international trade, and the global economy. As the lead federal agency for the Marine Transportation System (MTS), the U.S. Coast Guard is responsible for facilitating the recovery of the MTS following a significant transportation disruption, such as a security incident or natural disaster, and working with maritime stakeholders for the expeditious resumption of trade.1 Area Maritime Security (AMS) Plans, which are developed by the Coast Guard with input from applicable governmental and private entities, serve as the primary means to identify and coordinate Coast Guard procedures related to prevention, protection, and security response, as well as facilitation of MTS recovery. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Coast Guard conducted efforts to identify additional recovery-related elements and incorporate them within its AMS Plans to help ensure a consistent approach to MTS recovery and trade resumption. In addition, the Security and Accountability for Every Port Act of 2006 (SAFE Port Act) required that AMS Plans include a Salvage Response Plan to ensure that waterways are cleared and port commerce is reestablished as efficiently and quickly as possible following a transportation security incident (TSI), among other things.2 These additional recovery and salvage elements were to be included within the 1 The MTS is a network of maritime operations interfacing with shoreside operations at intermodal connections and is part of global supply chains or domestic commercial operations. The various operations within the MTS network have components that include vessels; port facilities; waterways and waterway infrastructure; railroads; bridges; highways; tunnels; intermodal physical, cyber, and human connections; and users. 2 Pub. L. No. 109-347, § 101, 120 Stat. 1184, 1187-88 (2006) (codified at 46 U.S.C. § 70103(b)(2)(G)). A TS is a security incident resulting in a significant loss of life, environmental damage, transportation system disruption, or economic disruption in a particular area. 46 U.S.C. § 70101(6). GAO-12-494R Coast Guard Recovery Planning

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