U.S. Infrastructure Protection Grants Announced

The U.S. Homeland Security Department in fiscal 2007 plans to distribute $445 million among five grant programs that provide funding for ports, transit systems and other components of the country’s critical infrastructure, the agency announced yesterday (see GSN, Jan. 9).

Funding this year is $46 million higher than in fiscal 2006.  The Infrastructure Protection Program to date has provided more than $1.5 billion to local, state and private entities for protection against terrorism of crucial sites.

“We’re investing resources where risk is greatest and where the funds will have the most significant impact,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said in a press release.

The Port Security Grant Program is set to receive $201.2 million in fiscal 2007.  Sixty percent of the funding — $120 million — will be directed toward eight “Tier 1” port areas believed to be at highest risk for terrorism.  These are New York-New Jersey, New Orleans, Houston-Galveston, Los Angeles-Long Beach, Puget Sound in Washington state, Delaware Bay, San Francisco Bay and Sabine-Neches River in Texas.  The remaining funds will be distributed among ports in three risk tiers.  Training, exercises, employee credentials and access controls are among the funding priorities.

The Transit Security Grant Program will release $171.8 million for security of rail and bus systems.  Of that, $141 million will go toward security at eight Tier 1 urban areas — New York-Connecticut-New Jersey, National Capital Region, Boston, San Francisco Bay Area, Chicago, Philadelphia, Greater Los Angeles and Atlanta.  Among the grant funding priorities are securing underground and underwater systems, safeguarding against weapons of mass destruction and improvised explosive devices, training, exercises and public awareness. 

The program will also provide $8 million to Amtrak for passenger rail security efforts and to coordinate its work with that conducted by local and regional transit systems.

A number of regions are eligible for funding to boost security of ferry systems.  The regions are:  Seattle, New York-New Jersey, Houston, San Francisco Bay Area, North Carolina, Connecticut-New York, Boston, Alaska-Washington, New Orleans, Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Jamestown, Va., Delaware-New Jersey and Greater Los Angeles.

The remaining grant initiatives are the Buffer Zone Protection Program, which will distribute $48.5 million; the Intercity Bus Security Grant Program, funded at $11.6 million; and the Trucking Security Grant Program, due to release $11.6 million in grants (U.S. Homeland Security Department release, Jan. 9).

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