Boston seeks federal money for security improvements BOSTON (AP) =97 Logan Airport has been praised by federal aviation officials= =20 for its quick work installing a permanent system to screen all baggage for= =20 explosives. But the airport and its governing agency have been less=20 successful at convincing the federal government to pick up the $146 million= =20 bill for the improvements, which were mandated by the newly created=20 Transportation Security Administration following the Sept. 11 terrorist=20 attacks. "By being the first in doing the baggage screening program, we're= =20 obviously ahead of the curve," said Craig Coy, chief executive officer of=20 Massport, which oversees Logan. "We're also on the cutting edge in terms of= =20 how it's going to be financed." Coy will make that case before a=20 Congressional subcommittee on Thursday, where he will plead for full=20 federal reimbursement for security improvements at Logan. The airport=20 received $30 million in late September 2002, but it is unclear when, how=20 and whether the rest of the money will be reimbursed, according to Logan=20 and federal officials. Last June, Logan became the first airport in the=20 country to win federal approval for a permanent baggage screening system,=20 which all airports were required to create by year's end. The Massport board decided to immediately start building the system on its= =20 own dime, on the assumption that the federal government would eventually=20 step in to reimburse the cost. Logan was the origin of two of the hijacked= =20 plans used in the terrorists attacks. A spokesman for the Transportation=20 Security Administration, which took over aviation security in February,=20 said that the agency is doing whatever it can to help Logan pay for its=20 security efforts. "We continue to vigorously support their incredible=20 effort at making needed security improvements," said Brian Turmail of the=20 TSA. "There's a commitment to working with officials at Boston Logan to=20 identify resources available to them." If the federal government doesn't=20 cover the costs, Coy said, it could instead be paid for by imposing extra=20 fees on passengers or airlines. One concern, Coy said, is that the cost of= =20 providing the mandated security will inhibit Logan's ability to pursue=20 other long-term projects to modernize the airport and make it more=20 customer-friendly. "We want to get the security right but we also want to=20 make sure that we continue to fund the programs for the infrastructure=20 required to meet the growth in air travel as the economy returns," Coy=20 said. U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano, D-Mass., who sits on the aviation=20 subcommittee, said Logan should not be penalized for its swift response to= =20 the federal mandate. "They've done everything they've been asked to do,=20 they have been the first in doing it, and that qualifies them for=20 reimbursements as quickly as possible," Capuano said. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.dbombo.net/muddyangels/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************