Max Cleland: “I am proud to be a part of this body which wisely acted to improve border security last night. As we approach the end of…”

“I am proud to be a part of this body which wisely acted to improve border security last night. As we approach the end of April, I am here today to urge my House colleagues to act on the issue of port security, which the Senate passed unanimously last year. Our Nation's coastline is over 95,000 miles--by far our most prolific border. Yet, despite the tremendous national mobilization to increase security since September 11, protecting our seaports has been a somewhat elusive goal. Although the Senate acted last December to tighten security at our Nation's ports, the legislation is still stalled in the House of Representatives. In my home state of Georgia, ports play an important role in international commerce and military support. The Port of Brunswick, GA, with three marine terminals, is growing rapidly. Brunswick is the home of a world-class auto and machinery import-export processing facility as well as an expanding forest products and agri-bulk operation. With the completion of the new Sidney Lanier Bridge this year and the on-going deepening of the Brunswick Harbor channel, the future of this operation is even brighter. At the Port of Savannah, which brings in the eighth largest cargo volume in the Nation, ships carry iron, steel, lumber, machinery, and paper products. It was the fastest growing container shipping operation in the Nation during calendar year 2001, and the only port to experience double-digit growth for the year.”