More rules for planes, small boats
The government plans to tighten security checks on pleasure craft arriving from outside the country.

by Bart Jansen
Reprinted with permission of the Portland Press Herald/Maine Sunday Telegram

May 25, 2007

WASHINGTON — Small aircraft and pleasure boats arriving in Maine and other states from outside the country would be subject to increased scrutiny under regulations being drafted by the Department of Homeland Security.

Secretary Michael Chertoff said the goal is to tighten security for smaller planes and boats and make the process more comparable to the higher security and screening given to airline passengers and cargo containers arriving by ship.

The regulations, details of which are not yet available, are likely to generate concern in border states where the general-aviation industry and recreational boaters travel between the U.S., Canada, Caribbean islands and Mexico.

Chertoff acknowledged likely resistance, but he argued in an interview this week that inconvenience was a small price to pay to prevent a terrorist from renting a plane or boat to carry a bomb into the country.

"Everybody says we believe in security, but when it comes time to accept a little inconvenience or an impingement on the business model, they go, 'Oh, we don't want to do that.'" Chertoff said. "I will tell you one senior executive in general-aviation charter actually approached me overseas and said you better deal with this issue because we're concerned about it."

Chertoff said the regulations would be completed "in the near future."

Mainers often fly smaller aircraft to remote areas of Canada for fishing. Small planes and boats are also popular for reaching outer islands in the Caribbean.

The proposal prompted mild concern in the general-aviation community as advocates await details of the regulations.

"One of the reasons why I think probably corporate jet sales and the use of corporate jets has increased over the last number of years is simply because folks are trying to avoid the long security lines and that kind of thing," said Scott Wardwell, director of the Northern Maine Regional Airport in Presque Isle.

"I wouldn't look forward to it, no," he said of tighter regulations.

Rob Hackman, director of regulatory and security policy for the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, said the industry group doesn't anticipate putting general-aviation passengers through a metal detector like an airline flight.

His group's members typically fly four- or six-seat propeller planes. Members arriving from international locations -- typically Canada or the Caribbean -- already have to phone in a list of passengers with the plane's identification number at least two hours before arriving.

"Unlike the airlines, we know who the person is with us," Hackman said.

After landing, pilots meet face-to-face with U.S. Customs officials and declare their belongings.

Concerns about the new regulations include how to deal with last-minute passengers who want to hop a ride, and any fees that might be attached to the new reporting system, Hackman said.

"The concern is what burden does it put on our population," he said. "The devil is in the details."

The National Business Aviation Association, an industry group for twin-engine propeller planes and small jets, is waiting to see details of the proposal, said spokesman Dan Hubbard.

"Our members have concerns, including flexibility and cost of anything that is proposed," Hubbard said. "We will continue working closely with the appropriate entities involved on the issue."

Phineas Sprague, president of Portland Yacht Services, said recreational boaters already call authorities at an 800 number with a list that identifies passengers. Then they meet customs officials at the berth.

"The people who do it a lot are very aware of the U.S. regulations and are very supportive," said Sprague, who routinely sails to Bermuda and the Caribbean. "There's no cargo on these boats. They may have a case of rum."

Sprague said problems arise when rules change too quickly for boaters to adapt. He cited a case a couple of years ago in which a British woman who joined a boat in Bermuda wasn't allowed into port in Portland, so the boat had to leave and drop her in Canada.

"The only trouble you'll have is if you don't know about it," Sprague said. "You'll get trapped by your own ignorance."

The extent of the regulations will determine the extent of resistance. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the top Republican on the Homeland Security Committee, said she opposed a Coast Guard proposal to begin a new regulatory scheme for all boats nationwide as "overkill and unnecessary."

"We constantly need to strike a balance," said Collins, who said general aviation and small boats do not top her list of threats. "We can never ensure that every target is covered and that our country is absolutely safe while still enjoying a free society."

Chertoff argued that it is in the long-term interest of the industry to tighten security because the American public could call for harsher restrictions if an attack by small boat or aircraft were successful.

Chertoff made his comments Tuesday in a meeting with 15 reporters who were participating in the International Reporting Project at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies. The project was sponsored by the McCormick Tribune Foundation.

Copyright © 2007 International Reporting Project. All Rights Reserved.