MAYOR PRAISES BUFFALO HOMELAND SECURITY FUNDING ELIGIBILITY

 

BUFFALO — Mayor Byron W. Brown today expressed great pleasure with the announcement that the federally designated Buffalo Niagara Area will be included on a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) list of high threat urban areas eligible for Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI).

 

The announcement from DHS followed a city-led comprehensive lobbying effort to ensure that the Buffalo Niagara Area was not dropped from the Department’s list of high threat urban areas.

 

Following the DHS announced reduction of UASI funding to the Buffalo Niagara Area in May 2006, Mayor Brown coordinated a multi-faceted effort to prevent the area from being dropped from the funding list altogether, which was put in jeopardy by the funding reduction.

 

“This is a huge victory for the Buffalo Niagara Area,” stated Mayor Brown. “The earlier action of the Department of Homeland Security put our future status on the funding list in serious jeopardy. We took immediate and decisive action to clearly demonstrate just how vital this region is to the country’s national security. We succeeded. I am extremely appreciative of the support and dedication of the members of our federal delegation – Senators Schumer and Clinton and Members of Congress Slaughter, Reynolds and Higgins. This outcome highlights just how effective we can be as a region, especially on such critically important national issues that affect our community.”

 

In May 2006, the Department of Homeland Security decreased the Buffalo Urban Area’s UASI 2006 funding by 50 percent from the previous year (2006 -- $3.7 million; 2005 -- $7.2 million). In fact, the region’s funding has decreased annually since 2003, when the region received $10.3 million in UASI funding.

 

Mayor Brown, County Executive Joel Giambra and William Ross, Chairman of the Niagara County Legislature, subsequently wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on May 31, 2006 to express their shared concern over the Department’s decision at the time to exclude the Buffalo UASI from their list of eligible candidates for the UASI Program in 2007.

 

Mayor Brown and his fellow elected leaders then testified in Buffalo on July 14, 2006 before the House Committee on Homeland Security, which was chaired by Congressman Peter King.

This past August, Mayor Brown and Erie County Executive Giambra sent a detailed analysis paper to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff that identified and justified dozens of specific factors for inclusion in future UASI risk assessments. Reviewing this analysis was the basis for the Mayor’s personal meeting with the Deputy Secretary and Undersecretary on November 13, 2006 in Washington, D.C.

 

Following that meeting, Mayor Brown wrote to DHS Deputy Secretary Michael Jackson, reiterating his concern that the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) Program did not adequately incorporate overwhelming risk assessment factors in the Buffalo/Niagara region, which is the geographical area considered by the Department of Homeland Security when determining UASI funding.

 

In his letter, Mayor Brown wrote, “I remain troubled that significant geographic, operational, and asset-based risk factors still may not be fully reflected in the [UASI] quantitative risk assessment process for the Buffalo/Niagara region in FY2007. While our UASI planning, projects, funding allocations, and prevention and response activities cover the entire region; the Department's catchment area for risk factors does not. This means that the full Buffalo/Niagara UASI population of 1.17 million residents and roughly 14 million annual tourists is not currently a factor.

 

“In addition, the risk assessment does not account for the three international bridges within the UASI but outside the 10-mile asset analysis area around the City, for which local first responders provide the primary coverage, supporting the region's two-way border crossing of 13.5 million passenger and commercial vehicles annually. Similarly, the risk assessment omits other critical infrastructure outside the 10-mile boundary, such as the Niagara Power Authority Dam, a major source of power for the State, for which the Buffalo/Niagara UASI takes responsibility.”

 

Since taking office, Mayor Brown has met regularly with local, state and federal officials to coordinate a consistent effort to maintain and strengthen the City of Buffalo’s position within the federally designated Buffalo/Niagara UASI. 

 

Mayor Brown concluded his correspondence to Deputy Secretary Jackson by

stating, “I believe that consideration of the issues we discussed will demonstrate that Buffalo meets the standards set by the Department for high-risk urban areas and should thus be deemed eligible to apply for UASI funding support next year. If the Department needs more time to address concerns within the core UASI risk assessment process, I urge that you consider extending current sustainment area status until those issues are resolved.”

 

Mayor Brown also extended congratulations to the Administration team that coordinated the city’s effort. The team consisted of Deputy Mayor Steve Casey, Buffalo Police Department Captain Mark Makowski and Timothy Wanamaker, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning. The City of Buffalo is represented in Washington, D.C. by Patton Boggs LLP.