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.