AAPA’s Nagle: Federal budget cuts port security grant program

AAPAÆs Nagle: Federal budget cuts port security grant program    Kurt Nagle, president and chief executive officer of the American Association of Port Authorities, blasted the Bush administration's fiscal 2006 budget as leaving U.S. seaports fighting 'for leftovers, even though the government recognizes they're high-priority targets for terrorists.'
   Nagle said he was particularly concerned about a White House recommendation to eliminate the Department of Homeland Security's port security grant program.
   'Under the new proposal, that dedicated funding category would be replaced in the budget with a catch-all new DHS program that would lump seaport infrastructure security needs together with those of trains, trucks, buses and other public transit — all of which would compete for $600 million,” the association said in a statement.
   'That would literally remove port security as a separate line item' from the budget, Nagle said. 'By rolling port security into a nebulous new program, it would pit border security needs against domestic security programs,' he explained.
   At a press conference Tuesday in Washington, Nagle warned that without a separate port security grant program, port authorities could be drowned out by public transit requests for security funding. Nagle referred to the often-used phrase: “Freight doesn’t vote.”
   The AAPA says at least $400 million is needed next year for seaport security to keep security initiatives on track with Maritime Transportation Security Act. The association represents 150 deep-draft public port authorities in the Western Hemisphere, and more than 300 port industries and suppliers.
   The AAPA also complained that the Army Corps of Engineers Civil Works program, which includes money for deep-draft harbor construction and maintenance, was cut 4 percent to $4.5 billion, further delaying dredging projects critical for expanding trade. AAPA urged Congress to appropriate $735 million for deep-draft operations and maintenance; at least $500 million for construction and $10 million for new project studies. That compares with the administration’s request of $607 million for harbor and channel operations and maintenance, $260 million for construction and $7 million for studies. The trade group urged Congress to tap revenues from the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund, which has a large surplus.