Hearing to be held on lack of chemical plant inspections
There are about 15,000 chemical plants in the United States; 6,000 of them were supposed to be inspected by DHS to make sure their security protocols comply with the current Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, or CFATS, but only 12 have been inspected
U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee said Monday she will hold a committee hearing on the reasons behind the delay in anti-terrorism security inspections at U.S. chemical plants. “This is a concern across the nation. Communities are in jeopardy,” said the Houston, Texas, Democrat, who chairs a subcommittee on transportation security and infrastructure protection of the Homeland Security Committee.
The Houston Chronicle reported Sunday that only 12 of 6,000 chemical facilities had been inspected by the DHS to ensure compliance with regulations aimed at mitigating the risk of a terrorist attack.
Houston Chronicle’s Monica Hatcher writes that Jackson Lee said she co-sponsored legislation that passed the House in November and would provide an additional $325 million next year to help fund inspections, among other anti-terrorism measures.
The bill would also expand security rules to cover wastewater and drinking water treatment plants as well as waterfront facilities now regulated under other rules.
The bill is being opposed by some lawmakers who say it will further delay progress in implementing the current Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, or CFATS.
“At the rate the department is going, it will take decades to inspect all 6,000 facilities. That is time we simply don’t have,” said Representative Pete Olson (R-Sugar Land). “But instead of focusing on inspecting the security at these high-risk facilities, the administration and House Democrats are attempting to change the program and increase the regulatory burden — causing even more confusion and delays. DHS needs to focus their resources on implementing its current process before we can know whether changes are needed.”
