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Levin, Stabenow and Dingell Urge Secretary Chertoff to Release Report on the Screening of Trash Trucks at U.S-Canadian Border

Date: March 3, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security Foreign Affairs


Levin, Stabenow and Dingell Urge Secretary Chertoff to Release Report on the Screening of Trash Trucks at U.S-Canadian Border

Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Rep. John D. Dingell (D-Dearborn) today urged Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff to release a recent DHS report that assessed the process for screening and inspecting trash trucks that cross the border between Michigan and Canada.

"The report we received from the DHS-OIG, which is labeled ‘For Official Use Only,' confirms exactly what we suspected: municipal waste trucks that come into the United States from Canada cannot be adequately inspected," the Congress members wrote to Secretary Chertoff. "The summary, which has been publicly released, glosses over the serious and alarming findings of the report. We find no basis for not releasing the entire report publicly and we urge you to release the report."

The report was prepared pursuant to a 2003 request by the members who argued that, for national security reasons, these shipments must be screened as effectively as other types of cargo.

"This problem is a threat to our security," the members continued. "Since there is no practical way to adequately inspect these trash trucks, we simply should not allow them into this country."

The 3/3/06 letter to Secretary Chertoff follows:

March 3, 2006

The Honorable Michael Chertoff
Secretary of Homeland Security
Department of Homeland Security
Washington, D.C. 20528

Dear Mr. Secretary:

We are writing to strongly urge you to release to the public the report prepared by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG), which assessed the process for screening and inspecting municipal solid waste trucks that cross the Canadian-Michigan border. This report was prepared pursuant to a 2003 request we made for an investigation into the screening process; we argued that, for national security reasons, these shipments must be screened as effectively as other types of cargo entering the country. The report we received from the DHS-OIG, which is labeled "For Official Use Only," confirms exactly what we suspected: municipal waste trucks that come into the United States from Canada cannot be adequately inspected.

We are greatly troubled by your Department's refusal to release the report of this investigation. The summary, which has been publicly released, glosses over the serious and alarming findings of the report. We find no basis for not releasing the entire report publicly and we urge you to release the report.

After reading the report, we are even more convinced of the inability to effectively inspect trash trucks entering the U.S. from Canada. This problem is a threat to our security. Since there is no practical way to adequately inspect these trash trucks, we simply should not allow them into this country.

Sincerely,

John D. Dingell

Debbie Stabenow

Carl Levin

http://www.stabenow.senate.gov/press/2006/030306ReleaseCanadianTrashReport.htm

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