Defending Nevada

Fighting for Funding to Protect Nevadans

Police, firefighters, and emergency personnel are our first line of homeland defense, and we must provide them with the necessary resources to protect Nevada's residents and visitors. Nevada had 37 million visitors in 2004. Additionally, McCarran International Airport is the nation's seventh largest airport, and Southern Nevada is home to 18 of the 20 largest hotels. In the case of an emergency such as a terrorist attack, these tourists as well as our residents would need the protection of our local emergency responders.

That is why I am working to pass the Homeland Security Grant Enhancement Act, which accounts for short-term populations, including military, commuters, and tourists, and thus would provide Nevada with an additional $6 million in Homeland Security funds for Fiscal Year 2006. If this legislation passes with my changes to the grant formula, Nevada's total Homeland Security funding for the year will be nearly $32 million. This additional money will help prepare local first responders to protect our resident population and the many tourists that we welcome every year.

Cities that attract high tourist volume have been identified by the Department of Homeland Security as potential terrorist targets. Therefore, I have worked to ensure that Las Vegas gains more funding based on the additional risk that comes with being a world-class tourist destination. At the request of Senator Ensign and myself, the Department of Homeland Security's Urban Area Security Initiative provided Las Vegas with an $8.5 million grant for extra protection. This program exists to provide additional resources to urban areas that have greater security needs, to fund first responders, and to support the state and local resources necessary to prevent, respond, and recover from acts of terrorism and other disasters.

On September 11, 2001, our nation's communications systems failed. Four years later when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, we were reminded of the importance of an efficient communications system for emergency response. I am working to provide funding to revamp Nevada's communications systems so that in the event of an emergency, they will remain fully integrated. This will allow rescue crews to communicate and work more effectively in the case of an emergency. I have also supported measures in the Senate that call for increased funding to improve the means of communication between first responders all over the nation.

I also ensured that Nevada's National Guard is ready to defend our state by helping to secure $12.8 million to construct a new Army National Guard Readiness Center in Southern Nevada. This will help the National Guard coordinate with local first responders and effectively combat threats to our state and the nation. Additionally, I fought for several years to have the Department of Defense provide the Las Vegas Valley with a National Guard Civil Support Team (CST). These Civil Support Teams were established to deploy rapidly and to assist a local authorities in determining the nature and extent of an attack or incident. They also provide expert technical advice on Weapons of Mass Destruction response operations.

As a senior member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I will continue to ensure that the President, law enforcement agencies, firefighters and rescue personnel have every necessary resource to make our nation safe and secure.

Ensuring the Safety of the Nevada Test Site

Nevada plays a unique role in national counter-terrorism efforts. I established the National Center for Combating Terrorism at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), which provides training for law enforcement officers, firefighters and others who are on the front lines of the war against terror. The Nevada Test Site is currently being used to train emergency workers on chemical and nuclear attack response. The materials used at NTS make the test site a potential target for terrorists. I helped create legislation that allocated an additional $20 million in 2005 for security forces at the test site. This money will ensure that more guards can be hired and that each guard is well-trained.

Yucca Mountain Threatens Safety

One of my top priorities over the last several years has been fighting the establishment of a nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. One of the problems with this project is the potential risk of transporting tens of thousands of tons of nuclear waste from all over the country to Southern Nevada, which could lead to tragedy should moving the waste become a terrorist target or in the case of an accident. There is currently no way to transport the waste that does not present a danger to homeland security.

Keeping Nevadans Informed

I hosted a Homeland Security Forum in Las Vegas with the Nevada Homeland Security Commission last year. The forum informed the public about current homeland security efforts and provided an opportunity for officials to assess future needs. Emergency personnel, first responders, members of the medical community, and homeland security training experts were on hand to answer questions and provide exhibits and demonstrations relating to their respective roles in preventing or responding to a terrorist attack. A panel of experts from a number of governmental and private agencies involved in protecting Nevada's communities also participated.

Weapons of Mass Destruction

While it now seems that there were never any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, there are other countries which we know possess these weapons. The nuclear threat posed by North Korea and Iran has significantly increased the risk that weapons of mass destruction will fall into the hands of terrorists and greatly increased instability in two already unstable regions. Therefore, I am committed to our government's efforts to reverse the setbacks suffered with both of these regimes, expediting the process of securing all loose nuclear material, and strengthening the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. These actions will help keep nuclear material away from terrorists and any nations who might be tempted to provide it to them.

Oversight of Homeland Securitys asistance to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. For example, I am co-sponsoring a Senate bill that provides for the establishment of an Office of the Hurricane Katrina Recovery Chief Financial Officer, who would have management and oversight responsibilities for all agencies working on recovery.

Protecting Americans in Transit

The threat of a terrorist attack on New York City's subway system in September 2005 turned out to be a hoax, but the American transit systems remain vulnerable.

September 11th taught us the painful lesson of how important it is to safeguard American aviation. In 2004, I cosponsored a measure in the Senate that allocated $75 million to upgrade the luggage screening process in several airports, including Las Vegas's McCarran International Airport. I have also encouraged the Transportation Security Administration to ensure that every passenger traveling through a busy airport is safe and that every passenger is adequately screened without causing undue delays for travelers. Both of these safeguards require that there are enough personnel employed to keep the lines moving at a reasonable pace. As a result, screeners would not be overwhelmed and travelers would be able to reach their destinations on time.