Can a TWIC card be used in place of a passport to fly on an airplane after January?

Yes.

The Transportation Worker Identification Credential, or TWIC card, is an acceptable form of identification, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

In addition to the TWIC card, the TSA, part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, says the following forms of identification are OK for air travel:

• Driver’s licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent).
• U.S. passport.
• U.S. passport card.
• DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST).
• U.S. military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and DoD civilians).
• Permanent resident card.
• Border crossing card.
• DHS-designated enhanced driver’s license.
• Airline or airport-issued ID (if issued under a TSA-approved security plan).
• Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID. 
• HSPD-12 PIV card.
• Foreign government-issued passport.
• Canadian provincial driver’s license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card.

Extension granted 

State Police Col. Mike Edmonson on Friday said that Homeland Security officials have given Louisiana more time to comply with the federal REAL ID Act of 2005, which sets security standards for the issuing of identification cards.

State officials have said that Louisiana driver’s licenses, which already comply with most of the REAL ID standards, would still have been good for air travel after Jan. 1, despite what recent news reports have said.

“A Louisiana driver’s license or identification card will still be accepted as identification to board an aircraft until such time the Federal Government announces an enforcement date,” reads a fact sheet produced by the state Office of Motor Vehicles. 

Lawmakers in 2008 prohibited the OMV from complying with the federal law, but the Legislature in 2014 passed a measure to lift the ban and allow residents to decide whether they wanted a REAL ID-compliant license or not.

Gov. Bobby Jindal vetoed the measure, citing “concerns about whether it will compromise Louisiana’s sovereignty over what is fundamentally a state method of identification.”

Edmonson hopes lawmakers will revisit the failed bill during the next legislative session, which will open under a new governor. It’s unclear how long the extension will last.

Online: www.dhs.gov/secure-drivers-licenses.

DOTD to check on tree by I-210

Who is responsible for cleaning up and maintaining the land alongside I-210? There’s a dead tree on the slope at Ernest Street, and the fence is down in places along I-210 at College Street.

“If the property in question along I-210 is within DOTD’s right-of-way, maintenance does fall under the department’s responsibility. We will send a crew to see if the tree requires removal,” Deidra Druilhet, state Department of Transportation and Development spokeswoman, wrote in an email. 

“While the department is not able to address all areas of down fencing at this time, we are working to repair fencing in areas with greater need.”

Online: wwwsp.dotd.la.gov.