HOUSTON, Aug. 14, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed into law House Bill 3011, authorizing creation of the Houston Ship Channel Security District -- the nation's first of its kind and modeled after a management district. The signing took place at the Port of Houston Authority Executive Office Building.
Photos accompanying this release are available at http://media.primezone.com/poha/pages/business.html
"The symbolic signing of this bill is an essential step toward our ability to protect the vital resources of our state," said Perry. "Home to 40 percent of the petrochemical industry in the U.S., the Houston Ship Channel should be at the top of the list. We have no other option but to secure this gateway."
"The creation of the Houston Ship Channel Security District is an important milestone," PHA Chairman James T. Edmonds said, "not just for the Port of Houston and the state of Texas, but also for our nation as we make every effort to keep our ports safe."
"This is a cooperative effort between the private and public sectors," said State Rep. Wayne Smith. "Without the support of industry, the port and Harris County, it would not have gotten done. It will be a model for other ports."
"This landmark legislation is for all the people along the 52-mile Houston Ship Channel," said Sylvia Garcia, Commissioner Harris County Precinct 2. "It makes clear that we are doing everything to ensure that the plants, the ports and the people are protected."
The Texas Legislature, in its 80th biannual session, authorized the creation of the Houston Ship Channel Security District -- an entity, proponents hope, that will serve as a security model for ports throughout the United States. The brainchild of Port of Houston Authority Chairman Jim Edmonds, HSCSD is a public-private partnership designed to help improve security within the Houston Ship Channel area by assisting with the local share and operations and maintenance cost of security infrastructure.
The district will be governed by a board of directors with staggered two-year terms. At least eight directors from the private petrochemical, chemical and refinery industries will be selected to represent the district's security zones. Two representatives of each zone will be selected by a majority of facility owners within each zone. Other directors will be a representative of the port authority, a director appointed by the county, and a final director appointed by the Harris County Mayors and Councils Association.
The next step in the process will involve distribution of a petition to be signed by 50 percent of the facilities within the district and 50 percent of the facilities representing the assessed value of the district. Once signed, the petition will go to Harris County Commissioners, who will then vote on whether to approve the district.
The security district's predecessor was the Port Strategic Security Council, formed three years ago after U.S. Homeland Security Department officials visited the Port of Houston and explained what criteria went into determining how much in security grants ship channel industries would receive. Representatives of ship channel businesses were told the department was looking for a port to apply for grants that would address port-wide security issues in addition to facility-by-facility needs. Funding increased over the next two years and the challenge then became how to fund the continued operation of security devices, such as Closed Circuit TV cameras, patrol boats and virtual fences. HB 3011 was officially signed by the Governor on June 15, 2007, shortly after it passed the Legislature.
CUTLINES:
Texas Gov. Rick Perry signs House Bill 3011, authorizing creation of the Houston Ship Channel Security District.
PHA Chairman James T. Edmonds and Gov. Rick Perry
Sylvia Garcia, Commissioner Harris County Pct. 2, PHA Chairman James T. Edmonds and Gov. Rick Perry
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. Each year, more than 7,000 vessels call at the port, which ranks first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage, second in overall total tonnage, and 10th largest in the world. The Port Authority plays a vital role in ensuring navigational safety along the Houston Ship Channel, which has been instrumental in Houston's development as a center of international trade. The Barbours Cut Container Terminal and Central Maintenance Facility are the first of any U.S. port facilities to develop and implement an innovative Environmental Management System that meets the rigorous standards of ISO 14001. Additionally, the port is an approved delivery point for Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange.
For more information, please visit www.portofhouston.com
The Port of Houston Authority logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=720
To access the port's web site photo gallery, please visit http://www.portofhouston.com/publicrelations/publicrelations.html and click the link for PHA Photo Gallery.
