WASHINGTON U.S
WASHINGTON — U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has
signed agreements with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
and the Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous
Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) to advance
information-sharing to improve targeting of imports for health and
safety violations. EPA and PHSMA are now part of CBP’s Import
Safety Commercial Targeting and Analysis Center (CTAC), a
multi-agency center for targeting commercial shipments that pose
potential threats to the health and safety of Americans.
“Imports that do not meet the critical safeguards established
in our nation’s environmental laws threaten public health and
put companies that play by the rules at a disadvantage,” said
Cynthia Giles, assistant administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency. “By partnering with other federal agencies
we can better target inspections to identify illegal or
non-compliant shipments, ensure health and safety standards are
met, and level the playing field for companies that follow the
law.”
CTAC provides an avenue for agencies with import safety authority
to streamline national operations and to share targeting
expertise, tools and best practices. It also allows for a more
targeted response to public safety threats, while simultaneously
reducing duplicative examinations.
"By working together to determine which shipments are high-risk,
the CTAC helps the government better protect consumers," said Allen
Gina, assistant commissioner for CBP’s Office of
International Trade. "At the same time, the CTAC helps eliminate
unnecessary examinations and facilitates low-risk shipments, so
everyone benefits."
EPA has been a partner with CBP in numerous consumer protection
efforts. EPA’s inclusion in the CTAC will enhance interagency
communication and collaboration to prevent the import of products
which may pose a human health or environmental risk.
PHMSA protects the American public and the environment through a
national field investigation program that ensures compliance with
federal regulations covering safe and secure movement of hazardous
materials, such as fireworks, batteries and energy products,
throughout the U.S. by all transportation modes, including the
nation’s pipelines.
“We must continue to find innovative ways to work together
and improve our abilities to protect communities,” said Dr.
Magdy El-Sibaie, PHMSA associate administrator for Hazardous
Materials Safety. “Participation in the Import Safety Center
and working closely with other federal agencies adds a new and very
important way to investigate hazardous materials
shipments.”
The addition of EPA and PHMSA brings the total number of agencies
that are part of the CTAC to seven. The original CTAC partnership
included the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Department of
Agriculture's Food Safety Inspection Service and the Animal and
Plant Health Inspection Service, and CBP. The agencies—each
with their own statutory responsibilities for public
safety—will work as a team to better target imports that
should be examined for possible safety violations.
More information:
http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/trade/priority_trade/import_safety/ctac/