Bill to strengthen chem facility security clears Senate
Congress moved a step closer to making chemical facilities in the U.S. safer with the Senate’s passage yesterday of the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014. The House is expected to take up the legislation soon.
The measure extends -- for four years -- the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Additionally, it establishes a voluntary new expedited approval procedure for site security plans for certain chemical facilities, improves aspects of information sharing with state and local officials and enhance DHS’s ability to identify high-risk chemical facilities that otherwise go unmonitored.