Budget

Debating how to shore up U.S. infrastructure
As federal, state, and municipal governments justifiably look to the private sector to help rebuild the aging U.S. infrastructure, they must make sure that the public interest in affordable and accessible infrastructure does not take a back seat
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Blumenthal: Impact statement regarding Plum Island seriously flawed
Connecticut’s attorney general: “[DHS’s] draft environmental impact statement is profoundly flawed — factually deficient, and legally insufficient — mis-assessing the monstrous risks of siting a proposed national bio- and agro-defense facility on Plum Island”
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New York State gives company 45 days to fix problems
New York State awarded M/A Com a contract for building the infrastructure for the statewide wireless network for first responders; the contract was to be completed by December 2006; state comptroller office, citing the delay and nearly 20 other deficiencies, gives company 45 days to fix problem or see its contract revoked
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Lawrenceville, PA bioterror lab opening on hold indefinitely
A state-of-the-art, $5.6 million BioLevel 3 lab was supposed to open in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania, in 2002;
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U.S. funds advanced cryptography effort by European biometric comapnies
EU gives European companies $9 million in U.S. money to develop advanced cryptography for interoperable fingerprint biometric solutions
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Canada's crumbling infrastructure reaching critical point
New study says $200 billion needed to shore up Canada’s infrastructure in order to keep private sector competitive
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NYC airports to get $400 million for explosive detectors
Responding to post 9/11 federal mandates, three New York City-area airports invested about $400 million in security upgrades; the federal government has agreed to reimburse the airports for the expenses
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EAGLE task order opportunities
With the federal fourth quarter underway, vendors are wondering where end-of-year spending will happen; task order vehicles are an obvious place to look because task orders can be competed and awarded quickly; DHS’s EAGLE task order is one example
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Aussies to create private-public partnership to strengthen infrastructure
The Australian federal government has established a $20 billion Building Australia Fund to help finance critical infrastructure projects; trouble is, the country’s tender process is erratic and complicated; new measure aims to correct this
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Kiwis plan for critical infrastructure investment
New Zealand’s government plans massive increase in investment in infrastructure; Finance Minister Michael Cullen: “We will deliver more investment…. You will be hearing a lot more about infrastructure from the Labor-led government in the months ahead”
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Report calls for long-term homeland security capacity
The U.S. homeland security effort should be long-term in nature and less dependent on the political vagaries of the annual budgeting process; security efforts will be more sustainable if they are “dual use” and offer broader societal benefits beyond just security
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Nuclear fuel cycle echnology R&D, $15 million awarded
U.S. Department of Energy awards funding ranging in value from $200,000 to $2,000,000 to 34 organizations to do reasearch into spent fuel separations technology, advanced nuclear fuel development, fast burner reactors, and advanced transmutation systems, advanced fuel cycle systems analysis, advanced computing and simulation, safeguards, and advanced waste forms
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DHS prepares for attack during transition
Elaine Duke, DHS’s undersecretary for management: “A lot of acts of terror take place in times of political change, and there’s an awareness of that…. So we’re looking at — when our political employees leave — who acts in their place … in case of an incident”
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IG says delays in bioterrorism lab threatened D.C.'s capabilities
Washington, D.C. took ownership of the 5,285-square-foot Biosafety Level 3 lab, in which dangerous pathogens such as anthrax, tuberculosis, typhus, and yellow fever can be quickly analyzed; trouble is, the project is nine years behind schedule
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DHS awards $1.8 billion in preparedness grants
DHS will award approximately $3 billion in Fiscal Year 2008 for preparedness; department has provided roughly $25 billion in grants since Fiscal Year 2002 to state, local, and tribal governments, as well as non-profit organizations
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