§944 Container security standards and procedures

Summary

The Secretary must start a rulemaking process within 90 days after October 13, 2006 to set minimum standards and procedures for keeping containers secure when they travel to the United States. A temporary final rule must be issued within 180 days after October 13, 2006. If that deadline cannot be met, the Secretary must send a letter to the appropriate congressional committees explaining why and what still needs to happen. All containers bound for U.S. ports must meet the new standards within 2 years after the standards are set. If the temporary rule is not issued by April 1, 2008, then by October 15, 2008 all containers in transit to the United States must meet the International Organization for Standardization Publicly Available Specification 17712 standard for sealing containers; that requirement ends when the temporary rule takes effect. The Secretary must regularly review and improve the standards as new technology becomes available to detect container break‑ins and high‑risk threats, especially weapons of mass destruction. The Secretary is encouraged to work with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Energy, other Federal officials, and several advisory committees to promote international container‑security standards with foreign governments and organizations such as the IMO, ISO, ILO, and WCO. The Secretary must consult appropriate Federal agencies and private industry and make sure actions do not violate U.S. international trade or other international obligations.