U.S. allocates $790 million for infrastructure and preparedness

DHS secretary Janet Napolitano last Thursday announced the fiscal year 2010 Preparedness Grants for nine federal programs. The programs include critical infrastructure-related grants — totaling nearly $790 million to assist state, local, and tribal governments and the private sector in strengthening preparedness for acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies.

“These grants play a major role in our efforts to work with our state, local, tribal and territorial and private sector partners to build a national culture of readiness and resilience,” said Napolitano. “We continue to focus on maximizing efficiency and value while prioritizing risk in awarding grants to strengthen our nation’s security.”

DHS said that the critical infrastructure and preparedness grants announced Thursday include specific steps undertaken by DHS to improve the ability of grant applicants to maximize funding and also incorporate input from state, local, tribal, and territorial and private sector partners. Awards will be made on a rolling basis over the summer.

The FY 2010 grants announced today include:

• Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) — $253.4 million to protect critical transit infrastructure from terrorism — in addition to $150 million in transit security grants provided by the Recovery Act (1, 2), totaling $403.4 million — including:
  • Freight Rail Security Grant Program (FRSGP) — $14.5 million to protect critical freight rail systems infrastructure from acts of terrorism resulting from railroad cars transporting toxic inhalation hazardous materials.
  • Intercity Passenger Rail (Amtrak) — $20 million to protect critical surface transportation infrastructure and the traveling public from terrorism within the Amtrak rail system.
  • Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP) — $11.5 million to assist operators of fixed-route intercity and charter bus services to support security plans, facility security upgrades and vehicle and driver protection.
  • Port Security Grant Program (PSGP) — $288 million to protect critical port infrastructure from terrorism; enhance maritime domain awareness and risk management capabilities to protect against improvised explosive devices and other non-conventional weapons; conduct training and exercises; and support implementation of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) — in addition to $150 million in port security grants provided by the Recovery Act (1), totaling $438 million.
  • Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP) — $48 million to increase preparedness capabilities of jurisdictions responsible for safeguarding critical infrastructure sites and key resource assets, such as chemical facilities and nuclear power plants.
  • Emergency Operations Centers (EOC) Grant Program — $57.6 million to support the construction or renovation of Emergency Operations Centers to improve state, local or tribal emergency management and preparedness capabilities to ensure continuity of operations during disasters.
  • Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program (IECGP) — $48 million to assist governments in carrying out initiatives identified in Statewide Communication Interoperability Plans and improve interoperable emergency communications used to respond to natural disasters and acts of terrorism.
  • Driver’s License Security Grant Program (DLSGP) —$48 million to help states and territories improve security of state-issued driver’s licenses and identification cards in order to reduce fraud, enhance the reliability and accuracy of personal identification documents and prevent terrorism.