Money for transit protection redirected, official says

A Homeland Security Department official said Tuesday that the $8.3 billion available for transit security -- a figure touted by the Bush administration since the London terrorist bombings earlier this month -- has been used for other purposes, and only $20 million was used in fiscal 2004 to protect subways, buses, railways and tunnels.

Timothy Beres, who oversees the department's transit grants, conceded that states have opted to use the $8.3 billion available in the last three years for other programs. "You and I both know that states have had to use most of those funds" for training and equipment for police officers, firefighters and other emergency responders, said Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J.

Since the London bombings earlier this month, lawmakers have criticized the Bush administration for not giving states enough money to protect mass-transit systems. Senators attempted, but failed, to attach an additional $1.2 billion for transit security to a bill to fund Homeland Security in fiscal 2006.

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff has said that the department has provided adequate funding for transit security and that aviation is the agency's greatest concern for transportation security. At Tuesday's hearing, Beres said a separate government program has provided $250 million over the last three years specifically for transit systems.

Of that amount, the administration recently directed $108 million to bolster security for railways, $22 million for intra-city bus systems and $4 million for ferry-boat security. The department also plans to dole out $90 million this year to protect the area around 103 designated critical infrastructure sites, including 21 subways, 11 tunnels, 18 railways and two bus depots.

Robert Jamison, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), said money alone will not assure safety.

"Perimeter fencing, securing yards, tunnels and bridges, facial-recognition technology, and even use of security cameras did not and would not have prevented either the London or Madrid attacks," Jamison said. "The fact is, good transit security is grounded in operations."