TESTIMONY
OF
WILLIAM W. MILLAR, PRESIDENT
AMERICAN
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE
ON HOMELAND SECURITY
OF THE
HOUSE
COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
***********
April 8, 2005
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Mr. Chairman,
thank you for this opportunity to submit written testimony on the security and
safety of public transportation systems. We appreciate your interest in transportation
security, and we look forward to working with you as you develop the FY 2006 appropriations
bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
ABOUT
APTA
The American Public Transportation Association
(APTA) is a nonprofit international association of over 1,500 public and private
member organizations including transit systems and commuter rail operators; planning,
design, construction, and finance firms; product and service providers; academic
institutions; transit associations and state departments of transportation. APTA
members serve the public interest by providing safe, efficient, and economical
transit services and products. Over ninety percent of persons using public transportation
in the United States and Canada are served by APTA member systems.
OVERVIEW
Mr.
Chairman, public transportation is one of our nation’s critical infrastructures.
We cannot over-emphasize the critical importance of our industry to the economic
quality of life of this country. Over 9.6 billion transit trips are taken annually
on all modes of transit service. People use public transportation vehicles over
32 million times each weekday. This is more than sixteen times the number of daily
travelers aboard the nation’s airlines.
Safety and security
are the top priority of the public transportation industry. Transit systems took
many steps to improve security prior to 9/11 and have significantly increased
efforts since then. Since September 11, 2001, public transit agencies in the United
States have spent over $2 billion on security and emergency preparedness programs
and technology, almost all from their own budgets with only minimal federal funding.
Last year’s events in Madrid further highlight the need to enhance security on
public transit systems and to do so without delay. We do not need another wakeup
call like Madrid.
In response to an APTA survey, transit
agencies around the country have identified in excess of $6 billion in transit
security needs. State and local governments and transit agencies are doing what
they can to improve security, but it is important that the federal government
be a full partner in the effort to ensure the security of the nation’s transit
users.
In FY 2003, transit security received $65 million
in federal funding from DHS. In FY 2004, $50 million was provided for federal
transit security programs from DHS. For the first time in FY 2005, Congress specifically
appropriated $150 million for transit, passenger and freight rail security. Out
of the $150 million, transit will receive approximately $130 million—almost $108
million for rail transit and more than $22 million for bus. Also, ferries will
receive an additional $5 million for security from a separate account. We are
very appreciative of this effort. However, in the face of significant needs, more
needs to be done.
We urge Congress to act decisively
on this issue. In light of the documented needs, we respectfully urge Congress
to provide $2 billion in the FY 2006 Homeland Security Appropriations bill for
transit security. Of that amount, we recommend that $1.2 billion be provided for
capital needs, and $800 million for transit costs. Federal funding for needs should
provide for, among other things, planning, public awareness, training and additional
transit police.
We are disappointed
that the Administration recommended only $600 million for a Targeted Infrastructure
Protection Program in the FY 2006 DHS budget proposal, which would fund infrastructure
security grants for transit, seaports, railways and energy facilities. We were
also disappointed that the Administration does not include a specific line item
funding amount for transit security. We look forward to working with the Administration
and Congress in securing adequate transit security funding that begins to address
unmet transit security needs of the country.
We further
request that the existing process for distributing DHS federal grant funding be
modified so that funds are distributed directly to transit authorities, rather
than to State Administrating Agencies (SAA). While we are willing to coordinate
with the states and urban areas that we serve, we believe direct funding to the
transit authorities would be more efficient and productive.
We
are pleased to note that APTA has become a "Standards Development Organization"
(SDO) for the public transportation industry. Our efforts in standards development
for commuter rail, rail transit and bus transit operations over recent years have
been significant and our status as a SDO has been acknowledged by both the Federal
Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Railway Administration (FRA). The
FTA and the Transportation Research Board have also supported our standards initiatives
through the provision of grants. We would like to apply our growing expertise
in standards development of transit industry safety and security, best practices,
guidelines and standards. We look forward to working with the Administration and
Congress in support of this initiative and trust that federal financial assistance
would be made available to develop such standards and practices.
We
also would like to work with Congress and the Department of Homeland Security’s
Directorate of Science and Technology to take a leadership role in advancing research
and technology development to enhance security and emergency preparedness for
public transportation.
SECURITY INVESTMENT NEEDS
Mr.
Chairman, after the awful events of 9/11, the transit industry invested some $2
billion in enhanced security measures, building on the industry’s already considerable
efforts. At the same time, our industry undertook a comprehensive review to determine
how we could build upon our existing industry security practices. This included
a range of activities, some I discussed earlier in testimony, which include research,
best practices, education, information sharing in the industry, and surveys. As
a result of these efforts we have a better understanding of how to create a more
secure environment for our riders, and the most critical security investment needs.
Our
latest survey of public transportation security identified enhancements of at
least $5.2 billion in additional capital funding to maintain, modernize, and expand
transit system security functions to meet increased security demands. Over $800
million in increased costs for security personnel, training, technical support,
and research and development have been identified, bringing total additional transit
security funding needs to more than $6 billion.
Responding
transit agencies were asked to prioritize the uses for which they required additional
federal investment for security improvements. Priority examples of operational
improvements include:
Funding current and additional transit
agency and local law enforcement personnel.
Funding for over-time costs
and extra security personnel during heightened alert levels.
Training
for security personnel.
Joint transit/law enforcement training.
Security
planning activities.
Security training for other transit personnel.
Priority
examples of security capital investment improvements include:
Radio
communications systems.
Security cameras on-board transit vehicles and
in transit stations.
Controlling access to transit facilities and secure
areas.
Automated vehicle locator systems.
Security fencing
around facilities.
Transit agencies with
large rail operations also reported a priority need for federal capital funding
for intrusion detection devices.
Mr. Chairman, the Department
of Homeland Security issued directives for the transit industry in May 2004, which
would require that transit authorities beef up security and to take a series of
precautions which would set the stage for more extensive measures without any
federal funding assistance. We believe these directives are unfunded mandates.
Many of our transit systems have already carried out most of the measures that
Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is calling for, such as drafting
security plans, removing trash bins and setting up procedures to deal with suspicious
packages. The cost of these measures and further diligence taken during times
of heightened alert is of particular concern to us. We look forward to working
with you in addressing these issues.
As you know, in the
FY 2005 Homeland Security Appropriations bill (PL 108-334), TSA can hire up to
100 rail inspectors using a $10 million appropriation. We have concerns about
this provision. We believe that funding for the inspectors would be better spent
on things that would support the industry such as surveillance cameras, and emergency
communication and other systems rather than highlighting security issues without
providing the necessary resources to address them. We look forward to working
with you in addressing our concerns.
BACKGROUND
Mr.
Chairman, prior to and following September 11, 2001—the date of the most devastating
terrorist attack in U.S. history—APTA has played a key role in addressing the
safety and security issues of our country. American public transportation agencies
have also taken significant measures to enhance their security and emergency preparedness
efforts to adjust to society’s new state of concern. Although agencies had a wide
range of security initiatives in place at the time of the World Trade Center and
Pentagon attacks and already had developed emergency response plans, the September
11 incidents focused, strengthened and prioritized security efforts throughout
the industry.
Transit agencies have had an excellent
safety record and have worked for years to enhance their system security and employee
security training, by following government standards and APTA guidelines, and
by learning from the attacks on transit agencies abroad. For example, the 1995
sarin gas attack in the Tokyo subway system caused U.S. transit properties managing
tunnels and underground transit stations to go on high alert. The San Francisco
Bay Area Rapid Transit District, for instance, responded to the potential threat
of chemical weapons attacks by sending a transit police team to Fort McClellan,
Alabama, to learn response tactics from U.S. Army chemical weapons experts.
In
the months following the September 11 terrorist attacks, transit agencies of all
sizes worked to identify where they might be vulnerable to attacks and increased
their security spending for both operations and capital costs. The agencies subsequently
upgraded and strengthened their emergency response and security plans and procedures,
taking steps to protect transit infrastructure and patrons and to increase the
transit security presence while giving riders a sense of security.
Some
initiatives around the country include:
- Increased surveillance via
closed circuit TV
- Increased training for employees
- Hired more
police, K-9 units added
- Chemical detection systems being tested
- Infrastructure
design to eliminate hiding places
- Drills are routinely held with first
responders
- Encouraging riders to be vigilant for suspicious activities
or items.
After September 11, transit systems
enhanced efforts to prevent unauthorized entry into transit facilities. The need
for employees and passengers to stay alert and report suspicious occurrences became
a key goal of many agencies. These efforts are paying off. But, while many transit
agencies are more secure than they were prior to September 11, more can and should
be done.
APTA has launched additional efforts to further
transit industry security and preparedness, collaborating with FTA in developing
emergency preparedness forums, and sponsoring and organizing security-related
conferences and workshops. Moreover, APTA developed a list of critical safety
and security needs faced by the transit industry, which it has provided to the
Department of Transportation and the U.S. Congress.
PUBLIC
TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION SHARING ANALYSIS CENTER (ISAC)—NEED FOR ONGOING FUNDING
Presidential
Decision Directive Number 63 authorizes and encourages national critical infrastructures
to develop and maintain ISACs as a means of strengthening security and protection
against cyber and operations attacks. APTA is pleased to have been designated
a public transportation Sector Coordinator by the U.S. Department of Transportation,
and in that capacity has received a $1.2 million grant from the Federal Transit
Administration to establish a transit ISAC. APTA formalized an agreement with
a private company to implement the ISAC and make it available to public transit
systems around the country.
This ISAC for public transit
provides a secure two-way reporting and analysis structure for the transmission
of critical alerts and advisories as well as the collection, analysis and dissemination
of security information from transit agencies. The public transit ISAC also provides
a critical linkage between the transit industry, the U.S. Department of Transportation,
the Transportation Security Administration, and the Department of Homeland Security.
The
Public Transit ISAC has been invaluable to the public transit industry. However,
its two-year funding from the FTA has expired, and even though APTA pursued future
funding for the ISAC from DHS and other agencies, we were not successful. DHS
has decided it will no longer provide funding for ISACs. Instead, DHS has launched
a new program—Homeland Security Information Network-Critical Infrastructure (HSIN-CI),
in which we are participating. HSIN is designed to provide a new set of tools
to share critical sector information among private industry and government, but
a fully functioning HSIN has yet to be realized. Once it is, there is no guarantee
that it will ever be as useful and comprehensive as the Public Transit ISAC. Consequently,
we believe that ongoing, reliable and consistent funding from Congress for the
Public Transit ISAC is necessary.
ONGOING TRANSIT SECURITY
PROGRAMS
Mr. Chairman, while transit agencies have
moved to a heightened level of security alertness, the leadership of APTA has
been actively working with its strategic partners to develop a practical plan
to address our industry’s security and emergency preparedness needs. Shortly after
the September 11 events, the APTA Executive Committee established a Security Task
Force. The APTA Security Task Force has established a security strategic plan
that prioritizes direction for our initiatives. Among those initiatives, the Task
Force serves as the steering group for determining security projects with more
than $2 million in Transit Cooperative Research funding through the Transportation
Research Board.
Through this funding, APTA has conducted
four transit security workshop forums around the nation for the larger transit
systems with potentially greater risk exposure. These workshops provided confidential
settings to enable sharing of security practices and applying methodologies to
various scenarios. The outcomes from these workshops were made available in a
controlled and confidential format to other transit agencies unable to attend
the workshops. The workshops were held in New York, San Francisco, Atlanta, and
Chicago.
In partnerships with the Transportation Research
Board, the APTA Security Task Force has also established two TCRP Panels that
identified and initiated specific projects developed to address Preparedness/Detection/Response
to Incidents and Prevention and Mitigation. The Security Task Force
emphasized the importance for the research projects to be operationally practical.
In
addition to the TCRP funded efforts, a generic Checklist For Transit Agency
Review Of Emergency Response Planning And System Review has been developed
by APTA as a resource tool and is available on the APTA web site. Also through
the direction of the Security Task Force, APTA has reached out to other organizations
and international transportation associations to formally engage in sharing information
on our respective security programs and to continue efforts that raise the bar
for safety and security effectiveness.
APTA has long-established
Safety Audit Programs for Commuter Rail, Bus, and Rail Transit Operations. Within
the scope of these programs are specific elements pertaining to Emergency Response
Planning and Training as well as Security Planning. In keeping with
our industry’s increased emphasis on these areas, the APTA Safety Audit Programs
have been modified to place added attention to these critical elements.
CONCLUSION
Mr.
Chairman, in light of our nation’s heightened security needs post 9/11, we believe
that increased federal investment in public transportation security by Congress
and DHS is critical. The public transportation industry has made great strides
in transit security improvements since 9/11 but much more needs to be done. We
look forward to building on our cooperative working relationship with the Department
of Homeland Security and Congress to begin to address these needs. We again thank
you and the Committee for allowing us to submit testimony on these critical issues,
and look forward to working with you on safety and security issues.
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