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The Homeland Security Department announced Tuesday that it will award nearly $445 million in 2007 grants to assist with securing ports, transit systems and other parts of the national infrastructure deemed most vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Homeland security personnel visited sites nationwide to develop and test security plans, and will base award recommendations on their findings, DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said. The goal is to have the evaluations and award decisions completed this spring, he said.

"We're simply not going to give out [funds with] no accountability," Chertoff said. "This year reflects a maturation of that process."

Chertoff expressed frustration previously, because of what he called "too broad" descriptions of what grants could be used for; recipients have used DHS funds to buy questionable items including leather jackets and gym equipment.

"The problem, looking back at that, was not [that it was] fraud," he said. "That's why we have the review system" for grant requests.

DHS released grant guidance and application kits for local, state and private industry officials along with its announcement of available funds.

Money available through DHS' Infrastructure Protection Program will cover five areas: transit security; port security; intercity bus security; trucking security; and buffer zone protection for chemical facilities, financial institutions, nuclear and electric power plants, dams and stadiums.

Grants issued for public transit security will be more flexible than in previous years, because recipients will be able to use them to cover bus or rail protection, Chertoff said.

Transit and port security programs are eligible for the bulk of the grant money, with a combined $372 million available to them. Nineteen ferry systems nationwide qualify for transit security grants.

Funds in the pools for transit and port security awards increased over last year by about 20 percent each, to $172 million and $201 million, respectively. The intercity bus security program got a 22.5 percent funding boost, to about $11.6 million. The same dollar amount was allocated for trucking security, but that represented a 142 percent increase over what that area received in fiscal 2006.

The buffer zone protection program saw its funding level rise just slightly over last year, growing 1.1 percent to $48.5 million from about $48 million.

According to DHS figures, Alaska, Colorado, New Mexico, South Dakota and Vermont are out of the running for Buffer Zone Protection Program funds this year. New York will experience a more than $2 million cut in buffer zone funds and Massachusetts was allotted more than $1 million less than it had in fiscal 2006.

Texas, Florida and Ohio each will enjoy increases compared to the previous year.

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