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Suggested Citation:"Appendix A: The Joint Explanatory Statement and the Statement of Task." National Research Council. 2009. Evaluating Testing, Costs, and Benefits of Advanced Spectroscopic Portals for Screening Cargo at Ports of Entry: Interim Report (Abbreviated Version). Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi: 10.17226/12699.
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Page 57

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Appendix A The Joint Explanatory Statement and the Statement of Task In the Joint Explanatory Statement for the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L. 110-161), Congress stated the following: The Committees on Appropriations appreciate the difficulties the Secretary faces in certifying the ASP systems and provide sufficient resources to allow DNDO to enter into an agreement with the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) to assist the Secretary in his certification decisions. NAS will help validate testing completed to date, provide support for future testing, assess the costs and benefits of this technology, and bring robustness and scientific rigor to the procurement process. Working with the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office, the National Research Council, the operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences, developed the following statement of task for this effort. The chairman of the National Research Council will appoint a committee of experts to perform tasks addressing the Secretary of Homeland Security's requirements for certification of advanced spectroscopic portals (ASPs) for secondary screening and, to the extent possible, for primary screening. The committee will evaluate the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office's (DNDO's) ASP assessments, performance tests, and analyses. Specifically the committee will - Evaluate the adequacy of the DNDO's past testing and analyses of the ASP systems; - Evaluate the scientific rigor and robustness of DNDO's testing and analysis approach; - Evaluate DNDO's cost-benefit analysis of ASP technology. 57

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To improve screening of containerized cargo for nuclear and radiological material that might be entering the United States, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is seeking to deploy new radiation detectors, called advanced spectroscopic portals (ASPs). The ASPs are intended to replace some or all of the current system of radiation portal monitors (called PVT RPMs) used in conjunction with handheld radioisotope identifiers (RIIDs) to detect and identify radioactive material in cargo. The U.S. Congress required the Secretary of Homeland Security to certify that ASPs will provide a 'significant increase in operational effectiveness' over continued use of the existing screening devices before DHS can proceed with full-scale procurement of ASPs for deployment. Congress also directed DHS to request this National Research Council study to advise the Secretary of Homeland Security about testing, analysis, costs, and benefits of the ASPs prior to the certification decision.

This interim report is based on testing done before 2008; on plans for, observations of, and preliminary results from tests done in 2008; and on the agency's draft cost-benefit analysis as of October 2008. The book provides advice on how DHS' Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) can complete and make more rigorous its ASP evaluation for the Secretary and the nation.

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