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Yesterday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security released fiscal-year 2007 grant guidance and application kits for the Infrastructure Protection Program (IPP), which will provide about $445 million for state, local and private industry infrastructure protection initiatives. Program funding, which includes $373 million to boost transit and port security, will increase more than 10 percent compared with FY2006.

Transit agencies will receive $171.8 million in IPP grants, 90 percent of which will be allocated to eight Tier I, or high risk, urban areas. The New York/Connecticut/New Jersey region will receive $61 million; Washington, D.C., $18.2 million; Boston, $15.3 million; San Francisco Bay area, $13.8 million; Chicago, $12.8 million; Philadelphia, $9.7 million; Los Angeles, $7 million; and Atlanta, $3.4 million.

In addition, Amtrak will receive $8 million to enhance intercity passenger rail security initiatives and coordinate security efforts with local and regional transit systems.

For the first time, transit grant recipients can decide how to divide funds between rail and bus. In the past, grant funds were allocated in specific amounts for the two modes.

The IPP also calls for port security grants totaling $201.2 million, a 20 percent increase compared with FY2006. Tier I port security grant recipients, which will receive $120 million of the funds, include the ports of New York/New Jersey, $27.1 million; New Orleans, $17.3 million; Houston-Galveston, $15.7 million; Los Angeles-Long Beach, $14.7 million; Puget Sound, $12.2 million; Delaware Bay, $11.3 million; and San Francisco, $11.2 million.