Senators request $300 million for port security

Senators request $300 million for port security    Two U.S. senators urged the Budget Committee to include $300 million for port security grants in its 2005 budget resolution.
   Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Sen. Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, said in a letter to Budget Committee Chairman Don Nickles that the $46 million requested by the Bush administration is inadequate to meet the requirements of the Maritime Transportation Security Act for protecting port infrastructure from terrorism.
   The bill requires ports, terminal operators, shipping lines and other port users to conduct studies to find gaps in their security plans and then invest in equipment and personnel to correct those vulnerabilities. The Coast Guard estimates that it will cost industry more than $1.5 billion in the first year to implement the law, which goes into effect in July.