Budget in Brief Table of Contents | DOT.gov

U.S. Department of Transportation
Fiscal Year 2009 Budget In Brief

Overview

Security, Preparedness and Response

The Department of Transportation is responsible for ensuring that the national transportation system remains operational in the face of natural and man-made disasters. DOT operational emergency management programs have three key facets: emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Activities in these three facets include domestic and international coordination and planning. For example, DOT is participating in interagency and international planning to mitigate the impact of a pandemic or terrorist event on the security of the national transportation system and the security of the United States. The international planning is with our partners in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the Security and Prosperity Partnership (US/Canada/Mexico).

In addition, DOT also manages the Civil Reserve Air Fleet program and operates the Ready Reserve Force in support of the Department of Defense’s strategic airlift and sealift needs. DOT coordinates with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, as well as State, local, and tribal governments, and private sector partners, to ensure that DOT’s core competencies are used to meet critical transportation needs during any contingency. This involves such tasks as:

• Exercising the Secretary’s authorities, including emergency authorities for transportation matters affecting national defense and national and regional emergencies;
• Coordinating DOT’s support for prevention, preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation activities among transportation stakeholders;
• Coordinating DOT’s role in select international contingency planning and response initiatives; and,
• Coordinating the clearing and restoration of transportation infrastructure.

The FY 2009 budget requests $919 million for security, preparedness, response and recovery related activities.

Rapid recovery of transportation in all modes from intentional harm and natural disasters

• FAA insures the operability of the national airspace through the facilities, equipment and personnel of the air traffic control system, which is essential to the rapid recovery of transportation services in the event of a national crisis. The budget request includes $218.6 million to continue upgrading and accrediting facilities, procure and implement additional security systems, and upgrade the Command and Control Communications equipment.
• FHWA works with a number of DOT agencies, the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration to improve highway-related security by assessing the vulnerability of critical highway infrastructure and developing measures to reduce vulnerability; ensuring State and local highway departments are prepared to respond to attacks on the highway system; improving the readiness of military and civilian authorities to support military deployments; and, conducting security-related research. FHWA also administers the Emergency Relief (ER) program to provide funds to repair and reconstruct highways and bridges damaged as a result of catastrophic failures. The budget request for FHWA’s security activities include funding for vulnerability assessments, emergency operations, preparedness, and response.
  
  An example of a project receiving ER funds was the I-35W Bridge in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After its unfortunate collapse, DOT released $50 million in ER program funds in August 2007 for clean-up and recovery work, including clearing debris and re-routing traffic, as well as for design work on a new bridge. This amount is in addition to the $5 million in ER program funds immediately provided to the Minnesota DOT after the bridge collapse. In November 2007, an additional $123.5 million in ER program funds were provided to help rebuild the bridge. In FY 2008, Congress appropriated $195 million more for bridge reconstruction.
• FTA, in coordination with the Transportation Security Administration, works with transit agencies to enhance the security of public transportation systems. The Department of Transportation is requesting $48.3 million in FY 2009 to ensure that transit agencies address critical security needs and to provide assistance in the areas of emergency preparedness, employee training, and public awareness. SAFETEA-LU requires “safety and security management” as an element of the Project Management Plan (PMP) that is submitted by grantees for major capital projects. To address this requirement, FTA will provide guidance to grantees on the development and implementation of safety and security management plans.
• DOT’s Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response has primary responsibility for DOT preparedness, response, and recovery programs. This office develops and participates in training and exercise programs to ensure staff are prepared to respond appropriately when a disaster occurs. The Office of Intelligence, Security, and Emergency Response operates a continuity of operations/government program to ensure that essential Secretarial functions can continue at an alternate site if Departmental facilities have been impacted or disrupted. Further, staff in the Department’s Crisis Management Center monitor the national transportation system for any type of disruption, provide information to senior management, and operate communications resources to assist DOT in effectively responding to problems in day-to-day operations and emergency response. The budget request includes $9.2 million for security-related activities of OST to improve DOT’s ability to carry out essential national functions at the alternate site, respond to new intelligence policy requirements, and operate the Crisis Management Center.
• FMCSA works in concert with the Transportation Security Administration to establish protocols that will enhance the security of commercial motor vehicle transportation, particularly the security of commercial motor vehicles carrying hazardous materials. The budget request includes approximately $5 million to continue security contact reviews of hazardous materials carriers, and to continue an outreach initiative that communicates threat characteristics and security advice to commercial motor vehicle drivers, carriers, and law enforcement agencies.
• The U.S. railroad system carries approximately 40 percent of the ton-miles of freight in the United States, making it imperative that the FRA works to reduce the vulnerability of the railroad infrastructure and systems to physical and cyber attack. The budget request includes $0.7 million to coordinate all FRA-related security projects in addition to responding to notifications of bomb threats and criminal acts against railroads as they are reported to the National Response Center. Personnel monitor FRA’s accident/incident database for reported acts of vandalism, sabotage, criminal mischief, and/or other malicious, intentional acts of destruction. FRA personnel also provide information to railroads regarding terrorist activity and threats or acts against rail transportation.
• The Saint Lawrence Seaway is a critical transportation link to and from the agricultural and industrial heartland of the United States. A shutdown of any one of the Seaway’s 15 U.S. or Canadian locks due to a security-related event or lock malfunction or failure would stop operations through the St. Lawrence Seaway System and severely disrupt traffic throughout the entire Great Lakes. The budget request includes $0.3 million to continue the SLSDC’s physical security program at the U.S. Seaway lock infrastructure facilities.

National Security Contingency Sealift

• Ensure the Availability of Contingency Strategic Sealift. The FY 2009 budget request includes $264 million to achieve the goal that 94 percent of DOD-required shipping capacity, complete with crews, be available within mobilization timelines in FY 2009, and to maintain the availability of at least 93 percent of the DOD-designated commercial ports for military use within DOD established readiness timelines in FY 2009.
  
  MARAD works closely with the Department of Defense to provide a seamless, time-phased transition from peacetime to wartime operations, while balancing the defense and commercial elements of the maritime transportation system. MARAD ensures that strategic port facilities are available and ready to move military cargo smoothly through commercial ports during DOD mobilizations. Through the Maritime Security Program, the Voluntary Intermodal Sealift Agreement program, the Ready Reserve Force, and the War Risk Insurance program, MARAD assures that DOD has access to commercial sealift capacity to support the rapid deployment of U.S. military forces. MARAD’s contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom underscores the critical importance of readiness to meet national security needs. With DOD approval, ships from the Ready Reserve Force are also available to participate as part of a DOT emergency response team for natural disaster recovery efforts in coastal areas. The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and six State Maritime Schools continue to provide the skilled U.S. merchant marine officers essential to the success of DOT’s security activities.

DOT’s Security, Preparedness, and Response Performance Budget is distributed as follows: