Debate rises over funding for public transportation security

The Homeland Security Department plans to make new grants available next fiscal year for securing public mass transit systems, but some lawmakers and industry representatives say the federal government needs to do more.

Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee said in a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge last week that federal agencies have not provided enough money or effort to protect public transit systems from attacks such as those in Madrid, Spain, on March 11 that killed about 200 people and injured more than 1,500 others.

"Although a terrorist attack similar to the Madrid attacks or frequent bus bombings in Israel have yet to occur in the U.S., the threat is real and chances of success are high," lawmakers stated in the letter. "To date, the federal government has not taken strong enough action to respond to the threat to passenger rail and public transit."

According to the lawmakers, the Bush administration should take "immediate steps" to provide a "down payment" of at least $250 million to address public transit security needs for the nation's 50 largest metropolitan areas. They suggested that DHS consider making a supplemental funding request to Congress for the current fiscal year and amend its budget request for fiscal 2005 to address "urgent transportation security needs in light of the recent Madrid attacks."

The lawmakers also said that confusion exists over the roles of federal agencies in securing public transportation, and they asked DHS to establish "best practices" for transit security, lead a federal effort to promote public awareness, and set timeframes for achieving security goals.

Public transit authorities have invested about $1.7 billion of their own money into security since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, said Greg Hull, director of operations, safety and security programs for the American Public Transportation Association, which represents more than 1,500 organizations. Most of that funding has been for operating costs and training, establishing new policies, making capital improvements, and paying for additional personnel, particularly during heightened states of alert, Hull said during an interview Friday.

However, APTA members say they need at least $6 billion more to meet their needs, Hull said. Of that amount, $5.2 billion is needed for capital improvements such as upgrades to radio systems, more closed-circuit televisions, and installation of intrusion-detection and access-control systems. About $800 million is needed for operating costs associated with additional security personnel, training, research and heightened threat levels.

Hull noted that the federal government has provided about $11 billion for aviation security since the attacks, but only $115 million in grants to public transit authorities, even though they transport 16 times more passengers than airlines, or 32 million people each weekday. Additionally, he said, only $35 million of the $115 million in grants made available to public transit authorities over the last two years has been spent, as the rest is tied up in bureaucratic knots at the state level.

He said funding for public transit security has been "sporadic and difficult to access," and the industry is hoping the federal government will do more to help.

"While we have invested significant monies, we see that we have a significant way to go, and we are in need of support from the federal government because there currently is no federal budget that supports security in the public transit industry," Hull said. He added that a supplemental funding request this fiscal year would be helpful, but what is really needed is a consistent line item in the federal budget to fund mass transit security efforts.

Hull said he is "hopeful" the federal government will begin to do more. He said APTA officials met two weeks ago with Ridge and Asa Hutchinson, DHS undersecretary for border and transportation security, and walked away with the impression that DHS will increase funding for public transit security in 2005.

DHS spokesman Brian Roehrkasse said the department does plan to set aside more funding for public transit security beginning next fiscal year. He said the department plans to establish specific grants under the Urban Area Security Initiative program. The department, however, would not know how much funding would be designated until Congress approves the fiscal 2005 budget.

"If Congress acts quickly, then we have the flexibility to decide the priorities for this, and we can potentially use some of these funds for rail and transit security," Roehrkasse said.

Additionally, he said public transit authorities could work with their local and state governments to apply for more funding through DHS' Office of Domestic Preparedness.

Hull said APTA has advised all its member organizations to look at how they might be able to access UASI grants, but added that none of them to date have been designated solely for public transit.

Roehrkasse also refuted the comparison of funding for transit security to that of aviation security. For example, one reason why so much money has gone to aviation is because the Transportation Security Administration operates a federal workforce of airport screeners. He said he also believes that funding for public transit security may be available through other federal agencies, such as the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration.

DHS is already following a number of recommendations made by House Democrats, Roehrkasse said. "It's not like we woke up on March 11 and started doing rail security."

On March 22, Ridge announced a series of DHS steps to improve public transit security. The initiatives target three areas: threat response support, public awareness and participation, and future technological innovations. They include the development of a rapid deployment mass transit K-9 program; a pilot program to test the feasibility of screening luggage and carry-on bags for explosives at rail stations and aboard trains; activities to increase passenger, rail employee and local law enforcement awareness; and advanced research into biological, chemical and explosives countermeasures.

House Democrats noted in their letter that the initiatives provide no additional funds for public transit security, and most do not provide immediate additional protection.

Ridge also said DHS has assisted in the deployment of biological and chemical detection equipment to some transit districts. For the current fiscal year, $285 million was allocated to develop biological countermeasures and $61.5 million for chemical and explosives countermeasures. DHS' science and technology directorate has specifically dedicated some of those funds for rail systems, Ridge said.

He also noted that the Transportation Department would provide nearly $4 billion in transit grants to states and local governments in its fiscal 2005 budget. "Entering our own election season," he said, "we must remain on heightened alert so that the very foundation of our freedom does not become a weapon of the enemy."