DHS Announces Close to $790 Million in Grants for Critical Infrastructure Protection

The Department of Homeland Security has announced its fiscal year 2010 Preparedness Grants, which represents close to $790 million to assist local, state and tribal governments, as well as the private sector “in strengthening preparedness for acts of terrorism, major disasters and other emergencies,” according to DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano.

Awards will be made on a rolling basis throughout the summer and cover seven main areas.

“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,” Napolitano said. “We continue to focus on maximizing efficiency and value while prioritizing risk in awarding grants to strengthen our nation’s security.”

The major areas are:

Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP):$253.4 million to protect critical transportation infrastructure

Intercity Bus Security Grant Program (IBSGP): $11.5 million to assist bus operators “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)”

Buffer Zone Protection Program (BZPP): $48 million “to increase preparedness capabilities of jurisdictions” for critical infrastructure and key resource sites, such as chemical and nuclear facilities

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 provide support to statewide efforts to implement communication interoperability plans and emergency communications

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”

Posted by Michael Cheek on Thursday, May 13th, 2010. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry