Editorial: States can’t do it all on their own

Monday, Dec. 10, 2001 | 8:54 a.m.

It is undeniable that our national security is threatened by terrorist attacks, such as those carried out Sept. 11 by the suicide hijackers. But more often than not the first line of defense and response rests with local and state governments -- firefighters, police officers, emergency medical personnel, physicians and nurses. It is estimated that the new financial demands placed on states for terrorism preparedness could total as much as $4 billion. The National Governors Association predicts that states will have to spend $3 billion to boost the needs of law enforcement and public health. An additional $1 billion will have to be spent to protect airports, bridges, power plants and other vital facilities.

This is a tough burden to place on states. A sluggish economy and declining revenues from taxes means that states will be hard-pressed to find enough money to sufficiently boost their anti-terrorism efforts. Nevada officials believe in many instances they're ahead of other states in terms of preparedness, but more can be done here, too, especially in additional training for hospitals and physicians so that they can handle bioterrorism.

Last week Tom Ridge, the director of homeland security, told state lawmakers holding their annual convention in Washington, D.C., that the federal government should help defray some of the anti-terrorism costs that states will incur. The kicker, though, is that Ridge refused to say how much Washington would contribute. The Bush administration's vagueness on the level of federal funding isn't reassuring, and it very well could be a sign that the states may have to carry the brunt of this effort.

The anthrax scare appears to have abated for now. Meanwhile, the Taliban have been routed in Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terrorist network are on the run. These certainly are welcome developments, but we hope that Washington policymakers don't relax their guard and think that anti-terrorism funding isn't as critical now that an imminent threat has been subdued. The fact is that the threat of terrorism in the United States will be with us for a long time -- and Washington should make sure that local and state governments have enough money to meet that challenge to our national security.