Facility Security
TWIC
NPRA Agency Comments
The Maritime Transportation Security Act (MTSA) stipulates that all refiners and petrochemical manufacturers with maritime-related facilities conduct security vulnerability assessments and implement comprehensive site security plans. Workers at these facilities who require unescorted access to secure areas must obtain Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) cards. To obtain a TWIC card, an individual must successfully pass a security threat assessment conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). TSA has a structured waiver and appeals process in place for unfavorable threat assessment results, as required by MTSA. TWIC enrollment began October 16, 2007.
TSA and the Coast Guard (USCG) have established April 15, 2009, as the deadline for obtaining TWIC cards. This is likewise the latest date by which owners and operators of facilities subject to MTSA must implement access control procedures wherein employees must show the biometric TWIC card for admission to the facility or its secure areas.
Many stakeholders are not optimistic that a sufficient number of workers will have received their TWIC cards by the compliance date. Corporate security and human resources offices will be challenged to find an appropriate course of action if the contractors and vendors over whom they have little control are not properly credentialed on time. Yet to be determined are the costs of purchasing, installing, and operating the card readers, and integrating them into existing facility access control systems.