AAPA: Not enough money for security, dredging

AAPA: Not enough money for security, dredging The American Association of Port Authorities expressed disappointment with the level of funding for port security, dredging and air pollution remediation in the proposed federal budget.
   “AAPA and its member ports understand the administration’s desire with this budget to direct funding to programs that stimulate the economy, but that’s precisely what ports do,” said Kurt Nagle, the association’s president and chief executive officer.
   The Bush administration’s budget request calls for a 7.6 percent overall increase in DHS’s budget in fiscal 2008, but recommends what the AAPA called a “huge decrease for port facility security.”
   AAPA said in its proposed fiscal 2009 budget, the Bush administration recommends the Port Security Grant Program receive $210 million in Congressional appropriations.
   “This is the same amount the administration recommended in its fiscal 2008 budget, even though both the administration and Congress authorized $400 million for the program in the 2006 SAFE Port Act and both approved a $400 million appropriation for port security grants in the fiscal 2008 omnibus appropriations bill,” the port group said.
   AAPA said it has urged the president and Congress to annually fund the Port Security Grant Program at the $400 million level, saying it was especially important to ports since they are in the process of implementing the federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential program, with its associated costs such as installation of technology to read TWIC cards.
   Nagle also said dredging funds are inadequate. He said at least $1.3 billion in funding from the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund is needed to maintain federal navigation channels, but that the administration’s budget calls for only $729 million, $6 million less than it requested for fiscal 2008.
   “On the bright side, the administration is asking for $14 million more than last year for navigation dredging studies and deep-draft construction, which would be helpful to ports trying to accommodate the needs of today’s larger ships,” Nagle said.
   AAPA said the administration is asking for $49.2 million for the Environmental Protection Administration to implement the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act, which provides grants to entities like ports and school bus owners to help reduce pollution from older diesel engines.
   It said this is a significant increase over last year’s $35 million budget request and only slightly less than the $50 million Congress appropriated in fiscal 2008.
   Nagle said the association supports the administration’s request for increased appropriations, and would like to see the program reach an annual funding level of $200 million.
   West Coast congressional legislators blasted the proposed 2009 federal budget spending.
   “The president’s cruel and unwise budget cuts endanger our nation’s future and must be reversed,” said Sen. Barbara Boxer, D.-Calif. “At least we can be thankful that this is the last time President Bush will get to send Congress a budget.”