TESTIMONY OF
WILLIAM W. MILLAR, PRESIDENT
AMERICAN PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION ASSOCIATION
BEFORE THE
SUBCOMMITTEE ON HOMELAND SECURITY
OF THE
SENATE COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
*******
April 16, 2004
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SUBMITTED BY
American Public Transportation Association
1666 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006
(202) 496-4800
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 members.
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 2005 appropriations bill for the Department
of Homeland Security.
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 importance of our industry to the economic vitality
of this country. Over 9.5 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, and 450 times the number of
travelers on Amtrak.
The American people rightfully expect that they can travel to work, school,
and any destination on public transit without fearing for their safety and
security. Our industry is fully engaged in meeting this responsibility. However,
the American people, and we also require the full support of the federal government
to effectively address this challenge.
America's public transportation services are by design and necessity an
open environment. Safety and security are thus the top priority of the public
transportation industry. Transit systems took many steps to improve security
prior to the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and have significantly
increased efforts since then by spending approximately $1.7 billion on security
and emergency preparedness programs and technology. These expenditures have
been made from local transit agency's own budgets with minimal federal funding.
Recent terrorist attacks in Madrid only highlight the need to strengthen security
on public transit systems and to do so without delay.
In a recent APTA survey transit systems identified both capital and operating
actions that would enhance transit security; 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 tens of millions of transit
users.
We urge the Congress to act decisively on this issue. In light of the documented
needs, we respectfully request Congress to provide $2 billion in the FY 2005
Homeland Security Appropriations bill for transit security. Of that amount,
we suggest that $1.2 billion be provided for capital needs such as improved
inter-operable radio communications, strengthening access control to facilities,
and establishing emergency operations control centers, and that $800 million
be provided for security related operating costs, including threat assessments,
planning, public awareness, training, and drills.
We further request that the existing process for distributing Office of
Domestic Preparedness (ODP) federal grant funding be modified so that funds
are distributed directly to transit agencies as was done in FY 2003, rather
than through State Administrating Agencies (SAA) as was done in FY 2004.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SECURITY
Mr. Chairman, transit employees are on the front line in our nation's effort
against terrorism. They are the first responder evacuation teams who will
assist in getting the public out of critical incident areas and our cities
in the event of a terrorist attack. This was evident on September 11, 2001,
when public transportation systems in New York City, New Jersey and Washington
D.C. helped safely evacuate citizens from center cities. Indeed, this same
story was true around the country as transit systems quickly and efficiently
evacuated people from closed airports and downtown areas. We remember that
the interstate highway program was begun by President Eisenhower as a national
defense interstate highway program. It is clear now that public transportation
too has a significant national defense component and is a fundamental element
in responding to terrorist attacks and other community disasters and emergencies.
In that connection, APTA has played a critical role in transportation security
and works closely with a number of federal agencies in this regard, notably
the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and the Federal Railroad Administration
of the U.S. Department of Transportation, and the Transportation Security
Administration (TSA), the Office of Domestic Preparedness (ODP), and the Directorate
of Information Analysis & Infrastructure Protection of the U.S. Department
of Homeland Security. At the program level, APTA works closely with these
agencies to administer an industry audit program that oversees a system safety
and security management plan for transit systems around the country. Our safety
audit program for commuter rail, bus, and rail transit operations has been
in place for many years and includes elements specific to security planning
and emergency preparedness. Separately, in connection with Presidential Decision
Directive Number 63, we are pleased to have been designated a Public Transportation
Sector Coordinator by the Department of Transportation, and as my testimony
notes below, we have established a Transit Information Sharing Analysis Center
(ISAC) that provides a secure two-way reporting and analysis structure for
the transmission of critical alerts and advisories to transit agencies around
the country. This ISAC is also a mechanism for transit agencies to provide
information to the DHS.
Since the events of 9/11, state and local public transit agencies, like all
state and local entities, have spent significant sums on police overtime,
enhanced planning and training exercises, and capital improvements related
to security. As mentioned in the overview, a 2004 APTA survey of transit agencies
around the country has identified in excess of $6 billion in added transit
security needs. These include both one-time capital investments and recurring
operating expenses related to security. It is important to note that these
costs are above and beyond the capital infrastructure needs we have identified
under the TEA 21 reauthorization effort.
BACKGROUND
Mr. Chairman, prior to and following September 11, 2001, the date of the
most devastating terrorist attack in U.S. history, American public transportation
agencies have taken significant measures to emphasize their security and emergency
preparedness 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 caused the agencies to focus, strengthen,
and prioritize additional security efforts.
Transit agencies have had an excellent safety record and have worked for
years to enhance their system security and employee security training, partly
responding to government standards, APTA guidelines, and by learning through
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 possible threat
of chemical weapons attacks by sending a 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 increase 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, many transit organizations worked 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 prior to September 11, more needs to be done.
Since the attacks, APTA and the Federal Transit Administration have emphasized
the need for effective transit security and emergency preparedness. FTA has
sent security resources toolkits to transit agencies; completed security-vulnerability
assessments of the nation's largest transit systems; and provided technical
support and grants of up to $50,000 to fund agency emergency drills.
FTA continues to provide emergency preparedness and security forums nationwide.
In emphasizing the importance of enhancing transit security, FTA Administrator
Jennifer L. Dorn noted that thousands of lives were spared on September 11
in New York City and Washington "because of the quick action of first
responders and transit workers."
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)
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 recently 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 Office of Homeland Security. A request for
funding to continue this ISAC has been submitted to the Department of Homeland
Security's Directorate of Information Analysis & Infrastructure Protection.
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 under
the leadership of Washington Metro's CEO, Richard A. White. 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 that are being implemented
through over $2 million in Transit Cooperative Research funding through the
Transportation Research Board.
Through this funding, APTA held four transit security workshop forums 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 website. 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 directions and to continually
work towards raising the bar of safety and security effectiveness.
Within this concept of partnership and outreach, APTA also continues in
its ongoing collaboration with the Federal Transit Administration to help
in guiding and developing FTA programs. Among these are regional Emergency
Preparedness and Security Planning Workshops that are currently being delivered
through the Volpe Center and have been provided in numerous regions throughout
the U.S. The primary focus of such workshops has been to assist particularly
smaller transit systems in building effective emergency response plans with
first responders and their regional offices of emergency management. Also
within this partnership, APTA has assisted the FTA and the National Transit
Institute in the design of a new program "Security Awareness Training
for Frontline Employees and Supervisors." This program is now being provided
by NTI to transit agencies throughout the nation.
Collaborative efforts between APTA, FTA, Volpe Center, and the National
Transit Institute are also underway to establish a joint website that will
specifically gather and disseminate effective transit practices with initial
emphasis on safety and security.
As you may be aware, APTA has a long-established Safety Audit Program 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 similarly been
modified to place added attention to these critical elements.
APTA's Committee on Public Safety continues to provide a most critical forum
for transit security professionals to meet and share information, experiences
and programs and to also provide valuable input to programs being developed
by the FTA.
SECURITY INVESTMENT NEEDS
Mr. Chairman, after the awful events of 9/11, the transit industry invested
some $1.7 billion in enhanced security measures building on the industry's
considerable efforts already in place. 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 of which I discussed
earlier in my testimony, including research, best practices, education, information
sharing in the industry, surveys and the like. As a result of those efforts
we are now at a phase where we know what we can most effectively do in terms
of creating a more secure environment for our riders and have accordingly
identified critical security investment needs.
Our latest survey of public transportation security identified needs 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 annually for increased operating 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 needs. Priority examples
of operational needs 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 needs include:
Radio communications systems, including operational control center redundancy
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.
To date the DHS has allocated some $115 million for public transportation
security through its Office of Domestic Preparedness. While we appreciate
this support from the Department, we must build on those initial investments
and begin to address the $6 billion in critical needs the transit industry
has identified. We believe that a funding level of $2 billion in the FY 2005
Homeland Security Appropriations bill would effectively begin the process
of funding those needs. Of that amount, we suggest that $1.2 billion be provided
for transit capital needs, and that $800 million be provided for transit agencies
for operating costs.
The Administration's FY 2005 budget, however, does not specifically call
for investment in public transportation security. We think it should. Currently
ODP grants for transit systems are made available through the states, which
means that our transit systems do not have a direct relationship with DHS,
and which also means that the process of getting the funds to the local transit
systems can be lengthy. Mr. Chairman, our nation's transit systems have a
direct and cooperative working relationship with DOT's Federal Transit Administration
which allocates federal capital investment directly to them, and we believe
this is an excellent model that we would like to see developed with the DHS.
We stand ready to help in any way we can in that regard.
CONCLUSION
Mr. Chairman, in light of our nation's heightened security concerns post
9/11, and the bombings in Madrid, tens of millions of Americans relying on
public transportation expect the services they use to be made more secure.
Increased federal investment in public transportation security by the 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 Congress
and the Department of Homeland Security 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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