The lawmaker behind the mandate that requires the Transportation Security Administration to screen 100 percent of air cargo loaded in the bellies of passenger planes has some serious questions about the agency's recently unveiled solution.

"If cargo is screened before it reaches the airport, which appears to be a central element of TSA's plans to comply with the law, how will it be sealed to prevent tampering," Rep. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass. asked in a statement released Thursday.

"It remains unclear whether a secure chain of custody can be established to make certain that bombs or other dangerous items are not inserted into cargo after screening occurs," said Markey, a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee.

The TSA recently began rolling out the certified cargo screening program, which allows shippers to conduct their own inspections before cargo reaches the airport.

Markey, along with Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, have asked the Government Accountability Office to investigate whether the program meets the standards of the law.

Ari Natter
Traffic World