New federal budget includes critical infrastructure security grants

February 12 '07: The Department of Homeland Security announced federal homeland security grants targeted towards increasing public/private partnerships and security for critical infrastructure, according to the DHS website. More than $1.8 billion has been allocated under the new 2008 federal budget.

The critical infrastructure grants were part of a larger $46.7 billion requested by the Bush administration for the 2008 fiscal year. In that budget request, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said that 5 goals had been created by DHS to help design new ways to spend the money.

Of the five: protecting the U.S. from "dangerous people"; "dangerous goods"; "Build a nimble, effective emergency response system and a culture of preparedness"; and to "Strengthen and unify DHS operations and management," infrastructure grants will target five areas and programs.

Among those programs, $30 million will be given to securing urban areas through the Securing Cities Implementation initiative. $21.9 million will be given to research and development programs "to create a resilient electric grid, detect tunnels along the border, defeat improvised explosive devices, and protect against shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles," the website read.

$25 million will go to chemical plant security programs and regulatory oversight operations; $3.5 million will help develop canine explosive training programs; and $35.6 million will go toward the Secret Service for presidential nominee security during the election year.