WASHINGTON — WASHINGTON -- The federal government will more than triple its grant funding this year for port security in Maryland, providing money for a state-of-the-art video surveillance system and technology to help monitor the thousands of trucks that enter the port of Baltimore each day.
Additional money to protect regional transit is also getting a big boost in the annual grants announced yesterday by the Department of Homeland Security.
Nationwide, federal spending on what the department calls infrastructure protection is increasing 29 percent to $884 million. But, for Maryland, which saw funding slashed in 2007, the increases are still greater: The port security grant jumps from $1.9 million to $6.6 million, 11th-highest among the nation's ports. Also, federal money for transit security in the National Capital Region, which the state will share with the District of Columbia and Virginia, is increasing from $29.3 million to $38.4 million -- second only to the New York City area.
"This announcement acknowledges what we have always known," Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said. "Maryland is a critical partner in protecting the country from potential attacks."
After last year's poor showing, when the port suffered a 60 percent cut in grant funding, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency coordinated applications for funds this year, assembling a broader base of beneficiaries that included public and private terminals, the Coast Guard and the Eastern Shore town of Salisbury, Maryland Port Administration spokesman Richard Scher said.
Gov. Martin O'Malley praised the coordinated effort in a statement issued through his spokesman: "I want to commend our state and local homeland security agencies for working together to secure these critical dollars for our port and capital region."
`Good first step'
Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee and co-chairs the Port Security Caucus, called this year's funding "a good first step."
"This is money to protect critical projects that might have exposure, and clearly the port of Baltimore is our No. 1 economic engine in Maryland," the Baltimore County Democrat said.
The port of Baltimore will use the money to help pay for a $5.5 million-plus video surveillance system that is stalled past its projected launch date of last year, Scher said. The port will help private terminals buy security cameras that could link up with the port's public system. Software improvements will mean better monitoring of cargo and workers through the port.
