Opinion ID: 2166829
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Defendant-Appellant Port Authority and Its Office for Special Planning Report

Text: In 1921, the PA was created by bi-State legislation designed to promote cooperation between New York and New Jersey in developing the terminal, transportation and other facilities of commerce in, about and through the Port of New York for the economic benefit of the Nation, as well as of New York and New Jersey ( see, McKinney's Uncons Laws of NY §§ 6401-6423; L 1921, ch 154, § 1). Currently, the PA owns, operates or oversees several major facilities, including airports, interstate bridges and tunnels, as well as the WTC. The WTC was itself created through legislation intended to encourage New York and New Jersey to preserve and protect the position of the port of New York as the nation's leading gateway for world commerce ( see, McKinney's Uncons Laws of NY § 6601 [5]; L 1962, ch 209, § 1). The WTC includes all buildings, structures, improvements and areas constituting a facility of commerce notwithstanding that portions of them may not be devoted to purposes of the port development project other than the production of incidental revenue available for the expenses of all or part of the port development project ( see, McKinney's Uncons Laws of NY § 6602). The defining concept encompasses the unified plan to aid in the preservation of[] the economic well-being of the northern New Jersey-New York metropolitan area and is found and determined to be in the public interest (McKinney's Uncons Laws of NY § 6601 [9] [emphasis added]). Indeed, the WTC is in all respects for the benefit of the people of the states of New York and New Jersey, and, in so effectuating the project and carrying out the relevant provisions of the law, the PA shall be regarded as performing an essential governmental function (McKinney's Uncons Laws of NY § 6610 [emphasis added]). In 1984, terrorist activities occurring in other areas of the world spurred the PA to create the Office for Special Planning (OSP) to address exposure to terrorist acts in all PA-owned facilities. OSP's mission was to conduct an extensive review to address vulnerabilities, identify alternatives and solutions, present recommendations to each facility's management, and obtain a response from each facility to coordinate with the PA's Director of Public Safety. OSP's work generated a document in 1985, entitled Counter-Terrorism Perspectives: The World Trade Center (OSP Report). The OSP Report was submitted to the Executive Director of the PA, the Director of Public Safety of the PA, the Superintendent of the PA Police, and the Director of the World Trade Department. After the 1993 bombing, portions of the OSP Report were discussed at public hearings conducted by the New York State Senate Committee on Investigations, Taxation and Government Operations. These hearings resulted in a Senate Committee Report, dated August 3, 1993, which found, among other things: The 1985 OSP report listed a series of possible methods of attacking the World Trade Center. The specifics of the February 26, 1993 bombing at the World Trade Center garage were almost identical to those envisioned in the report. The Senate hearings and report also revealed that numerous governmental security agencies had concurred with the findings of the OSP Report and that the PA had engaged private consulting firms to review the report. These firms also issued summary reports that concurred with the OSP's findings and recommendations.