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Transit systems in line for more anti-terror funds
Capital Region added to at-risk list
The Associated Press

    WASHINGTON — New York City-area transit systems are expected to see a big increase in security dollars from the Department of Homeland Security, and Syracuse, Rochester and Albany will be added to the list of cities considered at the greatest risk of terror attacks.
    Congressional aides told The Associated Press on Thursday that transit systems in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey will receive $151.2 million in new grant money, a more than 50 percent increase from last year’s figure of $98 million.
    In port grants, the region will receive $43 million, up a bit from the $42 million it received the previous year.
    A separate, larger, anti-terror grant program for cities will also see significant changes.
    Officials said Syracuse, Rochester and the Albany-Schenectady-Troy areas will be among the 14 urban areas added to the list of cities considered at high risk of terror attack. This year, some 60 urban areas will share nearly $782 million available. Albany had been cut from the list of eligible cities in 2003.
    In making the list, officials have not determined yet how much each city will receive.
    The aides briefed on the funding spoke on condition of anonymity because Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is not expected to make a formal announcement until today, when he will appear at Grand Central Terminal in New York City with Gov. Eliot Spitzer. A DHS spokesman declined to comment.
    New York state’s homeland security chief, Michael Balboni, said that in the years since the 2001 terror attacks, major potential targets have been made more secure, allowing smaller cities to qualify for help.
    Upstate, Balboni said, “you’re not looking at the same number of people or critical assets, but that doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be supported.”
    He said the money for upstate cities will be spent beefing up security at energy and telecommunications facilities.
    Since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, the amount of federal dollars for the security of New York and its surrounding suburbs has been a sensitive issue, sparking occasional fights between the Bush administration and area lawmakers.
    Rep. Peter King, R-Long Island, the ranking Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, said the funding to New York for port and transit has increased significantly in recent years — an indication the government is listening to lawmakers’ concerns.
    Last year, homeland security officials changed the way they distribute money to the New York City area, adding in parts of New Jersey for certain grant programs, in recognition of interlocking transportation systems that serve both states. This year, the funding is reverting to the previous system, with separate grants being awarded to the New York and New Jersey sides of the Hudson River.

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Congressional aides told The Associated Press on Thursday that transit systems in New York, Connecticut and New Jersey will receive $151.2 million in new grant money, a more than 50 percent increase from last year’s figure of $98 million.
    In port grants, the region will receive $43 million, up a bit from the $42 million it received the previous year.
    A separate, larger, anti-terror grant program for cities will also see significant changes.