§981 Pilot Integrated Scanning System

Summary

Within 90 days after October 13, 2006, the Secretary must pick three foreign seaports with different characteristics and trade levels to test integrated scanning systems that pair nonintrusive imaging with radiation detectors. The Secretary must work with the Department of Energy (using its Second Line of Defense and Megaports programs) or with private companies or host governments to get radiation equipment that meets both agencies’ technical standards. No later than 1 year after October 13, 2006, the pilot must be fully running at those ports. The system must scan every container loaded there for the United States, send images and data electronically to U.S. officials either in that country or in the U.S., clear every radiation alarm under Department procedures, save the data for later use, help improve the Automated Targeting System or similar programs, and may automatically alert officials to suspicious or high‑risk cargo for further inspection. Within 180 days after full operation, the Secretary, with input from the Secretary of State and as needed the Secretary of Energy, must report to the relevant congressional committees. The report must summarize lessons learned; analyze how well the targeting system uses images; assess detection of shielded and unshielded nuclear or radiological material; review software that can flag anomalies automatically; and evaluate the feasibility of expanding the system to other Container Security Initiative ports, covering infrastructure needs, effects on processing speed, scalability, data management during disruptions, costs, staff ability to handle data, protection of commercial data, and current technology reliability.