Hourly Update

Phoenix could lose federal homeland security money next year

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Homeland Security Department may drop Phoenix next year from the list of cities eligible for aid to urban areas at high risk of a terrorist attack unless it can show a compelling need for its share of the millions of federal dollars available for equipment, training and planning. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff on Tuesday announced that 35 metropolitan areas are eligible this year to apply for $765 million under the urban area security initiative. The cities include Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago, New York and Dallas. Phoenix and 10 other cities will be able to apply for enough money this year to sustain projects begun under the program in previous years. But if threat conditions and the dollars available for grants remain the same, those cities likely won't receive any money from the program next year. Phoenix received $10 million in the 2005 fiscal year. Congressional lawmakers have criticized the Homeland Security Department for giving too much money to communities that seem to face less risk of attack than others. In his announcement Tuesday, Chertoff said he was revamping the program to make sure resources go to cities that show they will use the money wisely. "The department is investing federal funding into our communities facing the greatest risk and demonstrating the greatest need," Chertoff said in a statement. Department spokesman Marc Short said the agency decided Phoenix and the 10 other cities should be eligible only for money to complete projects because they face less risk compared to others. Short would not disclose specifics about how the department made its decision. But in general, he said, the department compares intelligence about terrorist threats, population density, proximity to international borders and location of critical infrastructure, among other factors. Phoenix could be added back if threat conditions change, he said. "No one is guaranteed to be on the list one year to the next," Short said. He added that the city can still apply for other homeland security grants. Julie Mason, spokeswoman for the Arizona Office of Homeland Security, said state officials are still unsure what the announcement means for Phoenix, one of the fastest-growing cities in the country. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano, a Democrat, has complained before about the federal government cutting homeland security grants. Mason said Phoenix is the state's largest population center and home to many of the state's critical facilities. The city will host the 2008 Super Bowl, and it's in a border state, she said. "That should have an effect on the funding we receive," she said.