§921 — Title 6 Domestic Security | U.S. Code

Summary

Subject to section 1318 of title 19, the Secretary must make sure that, by December 31, 2007, every container coming into the United States through the 22 ports that handle the most container traffic is scanned for radiation. Where possible, the Secretary must use next-generation radiation detection technology. The Secretary must write a plan that says which ports get equipment first based on risk, when each port will get it, what kinds of radiation detectors and nonintrusive imaging will be used and how they will work together, how to examine containers and handle alarms and communications, and how operators will be trained. The plan must include a study of health and safety effects of imaging and a radiation risk-reduction plan made with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, OSHA, and NIOSH to keep exposures as low as reasonably achievable. The plan must also state the Department’s policy on using imaging with radiation detection and include a classified appendix for covert testing and detailed port priorities. The Secretary, through the Director for Domestic Nuclear Detection and with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, must publish technical standards and recommended procedures for using these machines. These standards should consider other federal and international rules and must not favor specific companies or cause sovereignty conflicts. The Secretary must fully carry out the plan no later than 3 years after October 13, 2006, then expand the effort to other ports by assessing their risks. The Secretary must also set up an Intermodal Rail Radiation Detection Test Center at a public port where most container cargo moves directly to or from on-dock rail and run multiple projects there to test solutions for on-dock rail challenges.

Title 6, §921

Domestic Security — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)Subject to section 1318 of title 19, not later than December 31, 2007, all containers entering the United States through the 22 ports through which the greatest volume of containers enter the United States by vessel shall be scanned for radiation. To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall deploy next generation radiation detection technology.

(b)The Secretary shall develop a strategy for the deployment of radiation detection capabilities that includes—

(1)a risk-based prioritization of ports of entry at which radiation detection equipment will be deployed;

(2)a proposed timeline of when radiation detection equipment will be deployed at each port of entry identified under paragraph (1);

(3)the type of equipment to be used at each port of entry identified under paragraph (1), including the joint deployment and utilization of radiation detection equipment and nonintrusive imaging equipment;

(4)standard operating procedures for examining containers with such equipment, including sensor alarming, networking, and communications and response protocols;

(5)operator training plans;

(6)an evaluation of the environmental health and safety impacts of nonintrusive imaging technology and a radiation risk reduction plan, in consultation with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, that seeks to minimize radiation exposure of workers and the public to levels as low as reasonably achievable;

(7)the policy of the Department for using nonintrusive imaging equipment in tandem with radiation detection equipment; and

(8)a classified annex that—

(A)details plans for covert testing; and

(B)outlines the risk-based prioritization of ports of entry identified under paragraph (1).

(c)The Secretary, acting through the Director for Domestic Nuclear Detection 11 See Change of Name note below. and in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, shall publish technical capability standards and recommended standard operating procedures for the use of nonintrusive imaging and radiation detection equipment in the United States. Such standards and procedures—

(1)should take into account relevant standards and procedures utilized by other Federal departments or agencies as well as those developed by international bodies; and

(2)shall not be designed so as to endorse specific companies or create sovereignty conflicts with participating countries.

(d)Not later than 3 years after October 13, 2006, the Secretary shall fully implement the strategy developed under subsection (b).

(e)(1)As soon as practicable after—

(A)implementation of the program for the examination of containers for radiation at ports of entry described in subsection (a); and

(B)submission of the strategy developed under subsection (b),

(2)In expanding the strategy under paragraph (1), the Secretary shall identify and assess the risks to those other ports of entry in order to determine what equipment and practices will best mitigate the risks.

(f)(1)In accordance with subsection (b), and in order to comply with this section, the Secretary shall establish an Intermodal Rail Radiation Detection Test Center (referred to in this subsection as the “Test Center”).

(2)The Secretary shall conduct multiple, concurrent projects at the Test Center to rapidly identify and test concepts specific to the challenges posed by on-dock rail.

(3)The Test Center shall be located within a public port facility at which a majority of the containerized cargo is directly laden from (or unladen to) on-dock, intermodal rail.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2018—Subsecs. (c) to (e). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1816(b)(1), (2), redesignated subsecs. (f) to (h) as (c) to (e), respectively, and struck out former subsecs. (c) to (e). Prior to amendment, subsecs. (c) to (e) read as follows: “(c) Report.—Not later than 90 days after

October 13, 2006, the Secretary shall submit the strategy developed under subsection (b) to the appropriate congressional committees. “(d) Update.—Not later than 180 days after the date of the submission of the report under subsection (c), the Secretary shall provide a more complete evaluation under subsection (b)(6). “(e) Other weapons of mass destruction threats.—Not later than 180 days after

October 13, 2006, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on the feasibility of, and a strategy for, the development of equipment to detect and prevent shielded nuclear and radiological threat material and chemical, biological, and other weapons of mass destruction from entering the United States.” Subsec. (e)(1)(B). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1816(b)(3), struck out “(and updating, if any, of that strategy under subsection (c))” after “under subsection (b)”. Subsecs. (f) to (i). Pub. L. 115–254, § 1816(b)(2), redesignated subsecs. (f) to (i) as (c) to (f), respectively.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Reference to the Director for Domestic Nuclear Detection deemed to be a reference to the Assistant Secretary for the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, see section 2(b)(1)(B) of Pub. L. 115–387, set out as a note under section 591 of this title.

§921 Domestic radiation detection and imaging