It is the responsibility of every member of Congress to ensure that the homes, businesses, and families of each of our constituents are kept safe from foreign threats. In this time of increased instability the possibility for a terrorist attack on a port, chemical plant, or nuclear power plant in New Jersey is on the rise. Sadly, our current administration and its backers in congress, including Representative Frelinghuysen, have done nothing substantial to shore up our home defenses.

The port of Newark is one of the busiest in the world and brings more than $140 billion in imports into the country every year from around the world. It also provides a livelihood for thousands of folks. Yet, to this day, too few cargo containers are inspected. But we can make some simple improvements in security measures that would not only allow us to know what is being brought to our ports but increase the efficiency of global logistics that would lead to a stronger bottom line for America and it’s trading partners abroad.

For more information go here; http://www.cfr.org/publication/9629/

But, our ports aren’t the only area of concern. New Jersey’s three Nuclear Power Plants also still face crippling vulnerabilities to terrorist attack. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, when designing the current security standards for our nuclear plants, actually ignored pleas by the Union of Concerned Scientists to enact stronger measures of protection against air based attacks. Another area of deep concern is the spent fuel kept on site at our plants. If a terrorist could breach the spent fuel holding pools they could create a fire that would lead to significant local radioactive fall out. Our nuclear power plants should not be “dirty bombs” in the making and that is why I support the recommendations of the Union of Concerned Scientists and the National Academy of Science and would work to put their recommendations into practice.

For more information on nuclear plant security go here: http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL34331.pdf

Finally, In New Jersey alone there are 7 chemical plants that put at least one million people at risk if any of them were to be attacked. Most of them are right here in North Eastern New Jersey. What concerns me is that the Federal Government’s safety regulations for chemical plants are far less strict than the ones we have here in New Jersey. We need to ensure that chemical plants get a clear message about the high levels of security it will require to keep the plants, and the people who live around the plants, safe. Thankfully, Congressman Steve Rothman has been working hard to ensure that our chemical plants are some of the safest in the nation. When I am elected to Congress I will join him in the work to ensure that these volatile plants remain safe and that we set a standard for the rest of the country.

Check out these links for more information:
http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/news/does-a-chemical-plant-in-your http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2007/04/03/...