In response to the risks posed by man-made and natural disasters, such as acts of terrorism and severe weather, over the past decade the federal government has emphasized the need to improve the resilience of the nation’s critical infrastructure through various national policies (see table 1). These policies—which focus on critical infrastructure, national preparedness, and climate change or weather-related events—address resilience in the context of homeland security (e.g., terrorism) and natural disasters. The federal government has targeted 16 critical infrastructure areas for resilience-building policies. Transportation infrastructure, which includes public transit systems, is one of these areas. Actions that can help transit agencies prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate the risk of catastrophic events can contribute to transit system resilience. These actions can be taken before, during, and after an event (see fig. 1). For example, transit agencies can develop plans to help them prepare for a catastrophic event before it occurs, and can repair transit infrastructure after an event so that the infrastructure can better withstand similar events in the future. In large part, the actions for resilience-building efforts noted in figure 1 occur at the local level and are specific to the needs, scope, and risks of the transit systems, factoring in state and local priorities. However, the Stafford Act of 1988, as amended, mandated a role for the federal government in assisting state and local governments to carry out their responsibilities to alleviate the damage from disasters. Today, federal agencies—DHS and DOT, in particular—share federal oversight of and assistance for critical infrastructure, including transit systems. Moreover, DHS and DOT are the federal agencies responsible under the National Infrastructure Protection Plan for promoting national resilience-related polices in public transit systems. DHS has primary responsibility for transportation security and emergency preparedness and response. DHS’s Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is the primary federal agency overseeing security matters for public transit systems and provides technical assistance to transit agencies to augment their system security. DHS’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has responsibility for administering the public transportation-security grant provisions of the 9-11 Act and is the lead federal agency responsible for building the nation’s capability to prepare for and respond to all-hazards catastrophic events. Transit agencies can apply to FEMA for grants for emergency planning, response, recovery, and mitigation efforts—either directly or through their states, depending on the type of grant. DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) provides funds to help develop new transit systems and improve, maintain, and operate existing systems; and provides technical assistance as needed to transit systems. As specified by law, FTA’s programs for funding transit systems operate as either formula or discretionary grants for certain types of capital or operating expenses. As discussed below, until recently FTA did not have funds authorized specifically for resilience or disaster assistance for transit systems. Created to strengthen the security of the nation’s transportation systems, TSA sets priorities for protecting and evaluating the security of public transit systems. FEMA, as the federal agency responsible for emergency management, has certain grant programs that provide funds that may be used for transit systems’ resilience-related activities both before and after catastrophic events. As noted by DHS and transit officials, some changes in funding levels and timing of grant availability can limit transit agency and local use of federal assistance. According to DHS officials, TSA employs a risk-based strategy to determine security risks on public transit systems. DHS maintains a Top Transit Asset List (TTAL) to identify critical infrastructure assets that are vital to the continuity of major transit systems and whose destruction would be detrimental to the region and even the nation. TSA uses the TTAL to help target technical assistance, and FEMA uses it to allocate transit security grants to reduce risks associated with major transit systems, especially in large metropolitan areas. As part of its risk-based approach, TSA conducts 30 to 34 Baseline Assessment for Security Enhancement (BASE) reviews of public transit agencies per year, which support transit agency resilience in several ways.effectiveness of transit agencies’ security and emergency response programs and to identify existing security guidelines and requirements and security gaps so the evaluated transit agency can prioritize actions to address vulnerabilities to enhance security. Officials from DHS and transit agencies we visited said that the BASE reviews are an effective tool to assess a transit agency’s security program. According to DHS officials, DHS also uses the results of the BASE reviews in the selection process for Transit Security Grant Program (TSGP) grants; the TSGP is discussed further below. Furthermore, TSA disseminates best practices, identified in part through the BASE program, among regional and national transit agencies, emergency management agencies, and state agencies, which can help make transit systems more resilient. These best practices include, for example, incorporating resilience into capital project design. Moreover, DHS has stated that, as critical infrastructure is built and refurbished, those involved in making design decisions should consider the most effective ways to prepare for threats and hazards, mitigate vulnerabilities, and minimize consequences. Sections 1405 and 1406 of the Implementing Regulations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007, Pub. L. No. 110-53, 121 Stat. 266, 402 (2007), codified at 6 U.S.C. § 1134 and 6 U.S.C. § 1135, respectively. weaknesses in security, such as in emergency response planning and employee training. Transit agencies that receive TSGP grants are required by FEMA policy to use their grants within 2 years of receiving them, although transit agencies may request an extension through a formal request to FEMA that describes why an extension is needed. TSGP funds for public transit peaked in fiscal year 2009 at almost $500 million, but were at or below $90 million in each of the past 3 fiscal years. See figure 2 for the annual TSGP amounts awarded for public transit from fiscal year 2005 through fiscal year 2014—the current year. Later in this report, we discuss the challenges experienced by transit agencies related to the timing of these grant funds. To determine which transit agencies receive TSGP funds, a panel of officials from different DHS agencies, including FEMA and TSA, rank and score proposed projects based on, among other things, whether agencies have assets listed in the TTAL and their BASE results. FEMA also administers a Port Security Grant Program, designed to directly support maritime transportation-infrastructure security activities, such as improvement of port-wide maritime security-risk management, maritime security-training exercises, and maritime security-mitigation protocols that support port recovery and resilience capabilities. According to DHS officials, ferry systems that are awarded these funds cannot also apply for TSGP funds for the same project. In addition to the TSGP and Port Security Grant Program, transit agencies are eligible for the Homeland Security Grant Program. These grants, such as the Urban Areas Security Initiative, are aimed at helping metropolitan areas build and sustain national preparedness. However, transit agencies cannot apply directly for these funds. State Administrative Agencies apply for these grants on behalf of the state and its subgrantees, including transit agencies and other local entities seeking such funds. FEMA’s disaster- and hazard-mitigation grant programs can also be used for helping make transit systems resilient. Public Assistance, typically the largest of these programs, focuses on immediate post-disaster recovery efforts and its grants can be used for removing debris, implementing emergency protective measures, and repairing or replacing damaged public equipment or facilities. Public Assistance funds also may be used for hazard mitigation measures to damaged infrastructure to reduce the likelihood of future damage. According to FEMA officials, transit agencies are also eligible for three FEMA mitigation grant programs—Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), Pre-Disaster Mitigation (PDM) Program, and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Program—that primarily fund weather-related resilience efforts, such as implementing flood control measures or protection from the effects of earthquakes. Transit agencies in the wake of recent disasters have used mitigation funds to support resilience projects. While FEMA’s mitigation grant programs can help transit agencies carry out resilience-type projects, we identified two limitations transit agencies face in trying to obtain such funds. First, to obtain FEMA funding, transit agencies must apply through their state government as opposed to applying directly to the federal government. Thus, transit agencies are competing with other state and local organizations, including non-transit- related organizations such as housing organizations and public utilities, for FEMA funds. Second, FEMA officials noted that because various FEMA grants and other federal funds to aid recovery and resilience building after a catastrophic event have different regulations and timeframes, it could be difficult for the grant recipients to coordinate the use of these funds for resilience efforts.transit agencies and others indicate arise from competing priorities and the timing of federal grants in more detail later in the report. DOT provides funding and technical assistance to transit agencies to improve their resilience. DOT requires that transit agencies with light rail, heavy rail, or other rail “fixed-guideway systems” have hazard and emergency management programs, and develop security plans.discussed above, actions that help transit agencies prepare for catastrophic events, such as developing plans, can help build transit system resilience. FTA provides financial assistance through various formula and discretionary programs for transit capital-investment projects and for improving and maintaining existing systems. All of these programs, except for the new Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program (ERP), allow but do not provide specifically for improvements for transit systems’ resilience to catastrophic events. However, according to FTA officials, activities to build resilience in transit systems are eligible capital expenses under these programs. For example, a transit agency could use Section 5339—Bus and Bus Facilities Program fundsfacility on higher land to make it less vulnerable to floods.