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CNN Saturday Morning News
Interview With John Engler, Bob Wise
Aired December 15, 2001 - 11:17 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: There has been another airport security breach, the latest one coming at Baltimore-Washington International Airport. It shut down a concourse earlier today. Airport security evacuated a Delta concourse, as you see here in the live picture there. They evacuated out of concern that one passenger slipped past a checkpoint. Security personnel swept the concourse and it was reopened about half an hour later.
Today's security breach though at BWI comes on the deadline day for every state in the nation to submit a homeland security plan to the federal government.
Let's check in with two governors on that this morning. First from Michigan, Governor republican John Engler is with us. Governor, good morning to you.
GOV. JOHN ENGLER (R), MICHIGAN: Good morning, Bill.
HEMMER: All right. Democrat Bob Wise, Governor of West Virginia with us as well. Governor, happy holidays. Good to see you.
GOV. BOB WISE (D), WEST VIRGINIA: Good morning.
HEMMER: First to Governor Engler, tell us is your report finished and what did you find?
ENGLER: Well our report actually was filed and approved on October the 16th.
HEMMER: OK.
ENGLER: So we've had an anti-terrorism task force in Michigan since '96, so we were well along when September 11 hit. But there's no question that the focus after that date changed considerably, and what we're looking at is really trying to dramatically increase the amount of coordination that exists in Federal agencies and state government.
HEMMER: Was that the biggest change that you noticed after 9/11, trying to get that coordination, or was it more?
ENGLER: Absolutely. The stakes of coordination rose considerably is what I think happened. We've had federal agencies funding different radio systems, for example, with different local law enforcement agencies, and we've always felt that there ought to be this kind of connectivity, and sometimes that was made very difficult.
With Governor Ridge in the Office of Homeland Security now looking over these plans, I think you're going to see with regard to training, with regard to resources, much more of a focus on say, do all of these parts of the system link together, just like the DNA and fingerprint files that need to be nationally accessible one state to the other.
HEMMER: We have heard for many weeks now about the coordination, how necessary that is. To Governor Wise, in West Virginia, your report sir, what's the status?
WISE: We're ready. We've also had our anti-terrorism task force for several years. It has worked with the FBI and the ATF as well as our law enforcement. We began working in earnest, of course, September the 11th. We've spent millions of dollars now on overtime. We just concluded a special session of the legislature for additional security needs.
But what we also believe is, while we feel like we're ready and we're on the state of high alert, have been since October the 7th, at the same time with terrorism, you always have to know that you may not be completely ready, and you always have to be looking for that extra possibility.
That's why the coordination is so important. We've started regional meetings now with all of our local law enforcement, our state police, all the responders involved. And for the first time, we're having to coordinate and doing it, our civilian and our law enforcement agencies, our HazMat teams, our public service and truck...
HEMMER: Right.
WISE: ... all of that.
HEMMER: Governor Wise, tell me this, with constituents watching this right now, and I don't want to underscore the mission here. But in some areas, are we being too cautious?
WISE: I don't believe we are, because I believe that just as 9/11 was an attack on a very populous area, terrorism also looks to see where you can go and where you're not expected.
Also every state, John's state, my state, we all have unique opportunities for terrorism. The chemical industry, for instance, in my state, hazardous materials transportation.
I don't think you can be too cautious at this point.
HEMMER: Governor Engler, there are constituents watching Governor Wise in West Virginia and certainly in your home state of Michigan as well. We have heard public threats announced in California by Governor Gray Davis. We heard Rick Perry in Texas this past week. For people watching this, relying on you for leadership in that state, how do you reassure them that indeed the steps you're taking will indeed protect them?
ENGLER: Well I think that some of what Bob was just saying, and what we try to say and all the nation's governors, our Executive Committee met this week with Secretary Ridge and Thompson and Wittman in Washington talking about this topic. And I think it's to be measured. It's to be prepared, as prepared as we can be.
In Michigan, as Bob said, unique things. We have the border crossings with Canada, and those border crossings, 7,000 trucks a day. Right after September 11, we had backups as much as 20 hours -- 30 miles at one of these important border crossings, and the trade volume over those three border crossings in Michigan, the three bridges is greater than all the trade we do at the European Union.
So it's a staggering volume. Sixteen hundred nurses live in Canada and work in southeast Michigan, and they can't wait 20 hours to come to work. And yet, we want to have heightened security. So, we're working with the Federal Government, asking Customs and INS resources be allocated to the northern border.
We've got National Guard personnel at the border now, helping out on a temporary basis. So it's all of those kinds of things, Bill, I think which show people that business as usual could take place but with a much more, I guess, heightened awareness of our environment.
HEMMER: We've got just about a minute left here, Governor Wise. All that we're talking about here and that Governor Engler mentions and certainly, it is wide reaching, this costs money.
WISE: It sure does.
HEMMER: How long do you do it and how do you afford it?
WISE: Well the first order of government is to preserve the public order and safety. We'll do it as long as we have to, but coordination is critical with the Federal Government.
The stimulus package that's moving in Congress has some assistance for us to set up our state laboratories for anthrax and other material vitally important.
There's going to have to be more assistance, because this is truly warfare on our homeland, and we're doing everything we can but we need to be closely coordinated, and have been, with the Federal Government.
HEMMER: Before we left you go, Governor Engler, Dearborn, Michigan some constituents there, the highest population for Arab Americans in the country. What reaction on a much different here, what reaction are you gauging right now with this bin Laden videotape coming out?
ENGLER: Just a lot of wonderful things happening. Cardinal Maida, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church here in Michigan just yesterday was in a mosque an reaching out.
Tremendous amount of interfaith activity that's long been in place, but it really has been meaningful because certainly the vast, vast majority of Arab Americans living in America are loyal Americans and deplore the violence of September 11, and understand that this is a perversion of Islam.
So I think the communication line's been open and frankly, their understanding with the President of the United States, has frankly helped I think somewhat shape the President's overall approach.
So it's been really in part very heartwarming and gratifying to see.
HEMMER: And good luck, OK.
ENGLER: Thank you.
HEMMER: Governor John Engler from Michigan, Governor Bob Wise from West Virginia. Men, thanks, have a great holiday too, OK. I appreciate your time today.
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