PA Gets $8.6m Federal Grant
Governor Edward G. Rendell said Pennsylvania's ports in Erie, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh will be more secure now that the state and private entities that operate them are receiving $8.6 million worth of grants. The grants will be awarded through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's port security grant program.A grant to the Pennsylvania State Police is the only one awarded to a state agency. Other agencies receiving federal grants include the City of Pittsburgh, Erie-Western Pennsylvania Port Authority and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority. The $1.66 million grant to State Police will be used to: -- Implement a Delaware River Virtual Maritime Domain Awareness Center within four months. The center will facilitate the sharing of security information on a 24/7 basis among law-enforcement agencies and the petrochemical facilities and general cargo terminals in the Port of Philadelphia area. -- Purchase a patrol boat for PSP to be used to prevent, detect and respond to any threats to critical infrastructure and key resources in the Port of Philadelphia area. -- Increase the frequency of Civil Air Patrol aerial reconnaissance missions in the Port of Philadelphia area and increase their effectiveness by adding sophisticated sensor equipment to CAP aircraft.