OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) - Oklahoma emergency responders have spent just 7 percent of the $70 million in federal funds allocated to the state to bolster homeland security.
Oklahoma, which started receiving the funds in 1999 is expected to get another $29.9 million in 2005, bringing the state's total to about $100 million.
"The process of spending sometimes takes a long time,'' said Oklahoma Office of Homeland Security Director Kerry Pettingill. "People are trying to spend it... They're being very meticulous in their selection process, and that's a good thing. It's sometimes hard to spend $1 million quickly.''
About 80 percent of the $70 million received through 2004 is going toward projects that haven't been completed yet and take a long time to plan.
Nearly $14 million is dedicated to about 50 response vehicles prepared for a chemical, biological or explosive attack. The vehicles could roll out to local agencies early next year.
About $16 million has been earmarked for a communications system that will emergency responders to talk each other throughout the state.
A computer system that will allow law enforcement agency to exchange case information will use up another $5 million.
The end goal is to have a response team an hour away from an attack.
"Whether we're talking about a feedlot in the Panhandle or whether we're talking about the McAlester Army ammunition depot or various switching stations or things like that for fiber optics and telephone systems,'' Pettingill said.
"I can't establish a response team in every community,'' Pettingill said. ``That's just not possible, but we can provide response teams in every region.''
Oklahoma was in the same situation as several states, slowed by bureaucracy and backlogs from vendors.
Specialized vendors are getting thousands of orders for gas masks, training, chemical suits and bomb-squad robots. Items can be on back order for six to eight months.
"That's a common refrain,'' said Tim Ransdell, author of reports on homeland-security grants for the Public Policy Institute of California. ``I believe there are some states that have yet to spend any amount of their funds. It's a slow process in some cases.''
Of the $2.4 billion granted to states in 2002 and 2003, only about 14 percent of the money had actually been spent, according to a report issued this year by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general.
The report sites miscommunication, inadequate staffing, complex and time-consuming planning processes at the local level and a lack of federal guidance on standards as reasons for the delayed spending.
"All we can do is reimburse the funds, and we can't reimburse the funds until the product is delivered,'' Pettingill said. ``This is all federal money that's in Washington, D.C. It's not going to go away.''
