The recent announcement of the funding levels for FFY 2012 Homeland Security Grants could spell the beginning of the end for the Port Security Grant Program. See my blog post from yesterday FFY 2012 Compromise Homeland Security Funding Bill
There are a number of options for the future when it comes to administering the port security grant funding.
- Given the decrease in funding and lack of a targeted dollar number it is doubtful that the current method of allocating funding based on U.S. Coast Guard Sectors will continue. There is not going to be enough money to spread the funding in that manner.
- It is a good bet that with the emphasis on risk only the larger ports will be offered grant funding and will have to apply for it in competition with other ports nationally.
- One way of administrating port security funding was to have the task accomplished by a Fiduciary Agency (FA). On the West Coast a number of Marine Exchanges have stepped up to assume that role. With a decrease in funding I don't think there will be enough administrative funding available to support the additional personnel to perform that task.
- Port security funding could be rolled into the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) and it will be those UASI regions that prioritize their funding allocations and if ports in the respective regions will receive any funding.
- Since individual FEMA regions are being given more grant responsibilities the port security grants could be administer out of the FEMA regions instead of the FEMA National Headquarters.
No matter what course of action is taken, the gravy train era of port security grants is coming to a close.
