Strengthening Surface Transportation Security

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Iran to suspend the enrichment and reprocessing of uranium. His efforts to promote the
cause of peace in Darfur resulted in a peacekeeping commitment by the United Nations.
He made the case for United Nations reform
because he cares about the institution and
wants it to become more credible and effective.
I am deeply disappointed that a handful
of United States Senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up-or-down
vote he deserved in the Senate. They chose
to obstruct his confirmation, even though he
enjoys majority support in the Senate and
even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important
time. This stubborn obstructionism ill serves
our country and discourages men and women
of talent from serving their Nation.
I thank John Bolton for the dedication and
skill with which he performed his duties, and
his wife, Gretchen, and daughter, Jennifer
Sarah, for their support as Ambassador
Bolton served his country. All Americans owe
John Bolton their gratitude for a job well
done.
NOTE: The Office of the Press Secretary also
made available Ambassador Bolton’s letter of resignation.

Remarks Following a Meeting With
Secretary of Defense-Designate
Robert M. Gates
December 5, 2006
The President. Good morning. I just had
a breakfast with my nominee to be the Secretary of Defense, Bob Gates. Bob Gates will
be a fine Secretary of Defense. I appreciate
the fact that he’s getting a hearing today in
the United States Senate. I hope for a speedy
confirmation so he can get sworn in and get
to work.
Those who wear the uniform know they’ll
have a friend in Bob Gates in the Defense
Department. He admires our military; he respects those who have volunteered to serve
our country. He’s going to do an excellent
job for us.
Again, Bob, I thank you for agreeing to
serve.

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Robert M. Gates. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you very much.
The President. Best of luck up there on
Capitol Hill. Good luck to you.
Mr. Gates. Thank you.
The President. Thank you all.
NOTE: The President spoke at 7:48 a.m. in the
Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House.

Executive Order 13416—
Strengthening Surface
Transportation Security
December 5, 2006
By the authority vested in me as President
by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States of America, and to strengthen
the security of the Nation’s surface transportation systems and thereby enhance the protection of the people, property, and territory
of the United States of America against terrorist attacks, it is hereby ordered as follows:
Section 1. Policy. The security of our Nation’s surface transportation systems is a national priority, vital to our economy, and essential to the security of our Nation. Federal,
State, local, and tribal governments, the private sector, and the public share responsibility for the security of surface transportation. It is the policy of the United States
to protect the people, property, and territory
of the United States by facilitating the implementation of a comprehensive, coordinated,
and efficient security program to protect surface transportation systems within and adjacent to the United States against terrorist attacks.
Sec. 2. Definitions. For purposes of this
order:
(a) ‘‘agencies’’ means those executive departments enumerated in 5 U.S.C. 101, independent establishments as defined by 5
U.S.C. 104(1), government corporations as
defined by 5 U.S.C. 103(1), and the United
States Postal Service;
(b) ‘‘Secretary’’ means the Secretary of
Homeland Security;
(c) ‘‘security guideline’’ means any security-related guidance that the Secretary recommends, for implementation on a voluntary
basis, to enhance the security of surface
transportation;

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Administration of George W. Bush, 2006 / Dec. 5
(d) ‘‘security requirement’’ means any
‘‘regulatory action’’ as defined in section 3
of Executive Order 12866 of September 30,
1993, as amended (Regulatory Planning and
Review), including security directives when
appropriate, to implement measures to enhance the security of surface transportation;
(e) ‘‘surface transportation modes’’ means
mass transit, commuter and long-distance
passenger rail, freight rail, commercial vehicles (including intercity buses), and pipelines, and related infrastructure (including
roads and highways), that are within the territory of the United States, but does not include electric grids; and
(f) ‘‘surface transportation’’ means any
conveyance of people, goods, or commodities
using one or more surface transportation
modes.
Sec. 3. Functions of the Secretary of
Homeland Security. The Secretary is the
principal Federal official responsible for infrastructure protection activities for surface
transportation. To implement the policy set
forth in section 1 of this order, the Secretary
shall, consistent with the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), in coordination
with the Secretary of Transportation, and in
consultation with the heads of other relevant
agencies:
(a) assess the security of each surface
transportation mode and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of current Federal
Government surface transportation security
initiatives;
(b) building upon current security initiatives, not later than December 31, 2006, develop a comprehensive transportation systems sector specific plan, as defined in the
NIPP;
(c) not later than 90 days after the comprehensive transportation systems sector specific plan is completed, develop an annex to
such plan that addresses each surface transportation mode, which shall also include, at
a minimum—
(i) an identification of existing security
guidelines and security requirements
and any security gaps, a description
of how the transportation systems sector specific plan will be implemented
for such mode, and the respective
roles, responsibilities, and authorities

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of Federal, State, local, and tribal governments and the private sector;
(ii) schedules and protocols for annual reviews of the effectiveness of surface
transportation security-related information sharing mechanisms in bringing about the timely exchange of surface transportation security information among Federal, State, local, and
tribal governments and the private
sector, as appropriate; and
(iii) a process for assessing (A) compliance
with any security guidelines and security requirements issued by the Secretary for surface transportation, and
(B) the need for revision of such
guidelines and requirements to ensure their continuing effectiveness;
(d) in consultation with State, local, and
tribal government officials and the private
sector, not later than 180 days after the date
of this order, identify surface transportation
modes, or components thereof, that are subject to high risk of terrorist attack, draft appropriate security guidelines or security requirements to mitigate such risks, and ensure
that, prior to their issuance, draft security requirements are transmitted to the Office of
Management and Budget for review in accordance with Executive Order 12866 and
draft security guidelines receive appropriate
interagency review;
(e) develop, implement, and lead a process, in collaboration with other agencies,
State, local, and tribal governments, and the
private sector, as appropriate, to coordinate
research, development, testing, and evaluation of technologies (including alternative
uses for commercial off-the-shelf technologies and products) relating to the protection of surface transportation, including—
(i) determining product and technology
needs to inform the requirements for
and prioritization of research, development, testing, and evaluation,
based on the security guidelines and
security requirements developed pursuant to subsection (c) of this section
and evolving terrorist threats to the
security of surface transportation;
(ii) collecting information on existing and
planned research, development, testing, and evaluation efforts; and

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(iii) not later than 180 days after the date
of this order, consistent with section
313 of the Homeland Security Act of
2002, as amended (6 U.S.C. 193), establishing and making available to
Federal, State, local, and tribal government entities, and private sector
owners and operators of surface transportation systems, lists of available
technologies and products relating to
the protection of surface transportation; and
(f) use security grants authorized by law
to assist in implementing security requirements and security guidelines issued pursuant to law and consistent with subsection (c)
of this section.
Sec. 4. Duties of Heads of Other Agencies.
Heads of agencies, as appropriate, shall provide such assistance and information as the
Secretary may request to implement this
order.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. This order:
(a) shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and the authorities of agencies, or heads of agencies, vested by law, and
subject to the availability of appropriations;
(b) shall not be construed to impair or otherwise affect the functions of the Director
of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budget, administrative, and legislative proposals; and
(c) is not intended to, and does not, create
any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by a
party against the United States, its agencies,
instrumentalities, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
George W. Bush
The White House,
December 5, 2006.
[Filed with the Office of the Federal Register,
11:43 a.m., December 6, 2006]
NOTE: This Executive order was published in the
Federal Register on December 7.

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Remarks Following a Meeting With
the Iraq Study Group
December 6, 2006
I just received the Iraq Study Group report, prepared by a distinguished panel of
our fellow citizens. I want to thank James
Baker and Lee Hamilton and the panel
members for spending a lot of time on this
really difficult issue. And I thank you for
coming into the White House today to give
me a copy of this report.
I’ve told the members that this report,
called ‘‘The Way Forward,’’ will be taken
very seriously by this administration. This report gives a very tough assessment of the situation in Iraq. It is a report that brings some
really very interesting proposals, and we will
take every proposal seriously, and we will act
in a timely fashion.
The commission is headed up to Congress,
and I urge the Members of Congress to take
this report seriously. While they won’t agree
with every proposal—and we probably won’t
agree with every proposal—it, nevertheless,
is an opportunity to come together and to
work together on this important issue.
The country, in my judgment, is tired of
pure political bickering that happens in
Washington, and they understand that on this
important issue of war and peace, it is best
for our country to work together. And I understand how difficult that is, but this report
will give us all an opportunity to find common ground, for the good of the country—
not for the good of the Republican Party or
the Democrat Party, but for the good of the
country.
We can achieve long-lasting peace for this
country, and it requires tough work. It also
requires a strategy that will be effective. And
we’ve got men and women of both political
parties around this table who spent a lot of
time thinking about the way forward in Iraq
and the way forward in the Middle East, and
I can’t thank them enough for your time. You
could be doing a lot of other things. You
could have had a lot more simple life than
to allow your government to call you back
into service, but you did allow us to call you
back into service, and you’ve made a vital
contribution to the country. Our fellow citizens have got to know that it is possible for

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