"Salazar on right track"
EDITORIAL
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
LONDON SUBWAY bombings provide grim evidence that U.S. Rep. John Salazar is on the right track in seeking anti-terrorist training funds for Pueblo's Transportation Technology Center Inc.
Colorado's 3rd District congressman plans to ask for $15 million to fund a new facility that would emulate a subway rail environment where emergency workers could be drilled in terrorist response.
A full month before the London attacks, Rep. Salazar touted TTCI as the best site in the nation to train first responders for dealing with rail-targeted terrorism. He first made the observation following a tour of the Pueblo test track in June.
"In light of (last Thursday's) bombings in the London underground rail system, the research conducted at this site has taken on even greater importance," he said. "Pueblo's test track site has already contributed to increased rail safety around the country and has the potential to save the lives of millions."
Rep. Salazar added, "We need to do what we can to keep ahead of the curve and keep this cutting-edge technology on track. Funding this rail project is imperative to our national security."
A better case couldn't be made for simulated subway response training here.
TTCI proposes building a more than mile-long, above-ground tunnel over a portion of one of its research tracks east of Pueblo.
Originally constructed as a federal rail laboratory, Pueblo's test track now is a research center operated by TTCI, an independent subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads.
With Rep. Salazar's help, TTCI is applying for $15 million from the federal Office of Domestic Preparedness, which awards about $60 million annually in grants for emergency training.
Currently, the federal grants are limited to sites in Alabama, Texas, Louisiana, New Mexico and Nevada. There's nothing in the law, however, to prevent funds also going to Colorado's site near Pueblo.
We commend Rep. Salazar for bringing widespread attention to the center's potential training value to the nation's security. We hope he is successful in this endeavor.
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