DHS Announces $445 Million In Grants
The Department of Homeland Security recently announced final awards totaling $445 million in grant programs that strengthen the ability of ports, transit, and intercity bus systems to prevent, protect against, respond to and recover from terrorist attacks, major disasters and other emergencies. The awards are part of the FY 2007 Infrastructure Protection Program (IPP), which has provided nearly $2 billion in grants to strengthen critical infrastructure facilities and transportation systems.
“These grants will help to protect our nation’s critical infrastructure from threats and hazards that could cause major loss of life, economic impact, and disruption of services,” said Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson. “These risk-based investments will increase security for vital assets such as ports, mass transit systems, long-distance bus carriers, chemical facilities, and nuclear power plants.”
Funding was directly allocated in January as part of the IPP to Tier I Transit grants, the Buffer Zone Protection Program and the Trucking Security Program. The announcement outlines the final competitively-bid portions of these grants, which includes Port Security grants, Tier II Transit Security grants and Intercity Bus Security grants.
Final awards for the FY 2007 IPP include:
- Port Security Grant Program (PSGP): $202 million (Tiers I – IV).
- Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP): $14.2 million (Tier II) and Ferry Security ($7.2 million).
- Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP): $11.6 million.
The following grant programs received direct allocation funding and were announced in January:
- Transit Security Grant Program – Tier I: $141 million.
- Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP): $48.5 million.
- Trucking Security Grant Program (TSP): $11.6 million.
In making grant determinations, the department considered the threat, vulnerability, and consequences of an attack on critical infrastructure as well as the effectiveness of proposed solutions.