WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Susan Collins (R-ME) announced today that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded $768,750 in port security grant funding and $189,000 in buffer zone security grants to the state of Maine through their Infrastructure Protection Program.
“This grant funding will allow port officials to better coordinate and enhance security ensures at Maine’s seaports and other facilities in need of increased protection. We must continue to strengthen our ability to protect against terrorist attacks, and I am pleased that DHS has recognized the vital role that Maine’s seaports and other facilities play in our country’s critical infrastructure.”
DHS’ Infrastructure Protection Program is a combination of several competitive grant programs that seek to strengthen critical infrastructure by enhancing our ability to prevent and recover from terrorist attacks and other major disasters. In total, DHS is awarding nearly $373 million nationwide through FY2006 to support security upgrades and increased coordination at our nation’s ports, rail and bus facilities, and chemical plants. Of this funding, at total of $168 million is allocated for the 2006 Port Security Grant Program, which provides funds to enhance the security of the nation’s ports. Only those seaports identified as most critical by the United States Coast Guard were eligible to apply for this funding.
The FY 2006 Buffer Zone Protection Program provides funds to states to support the implementation of Buffer Zone Plans to develop effective protective measures that will make it more difficult for terrorists to conduct surveillance or launch attacks within the immediate vicinity of critical infrastructure targets. Although the list of eligible sites within each state is classified, in general these could include chemical plants and other types of critical infrastructure that warrant additional security measures surrounding their property.
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