Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Thursday issued the following statement about the National Infrastructure Protection Plan (NIPP), expected to be released by the Department of Homeland Security on Friday.
“Long overdue, the National Infrastructure Protection Plan is an important starting point for homeland security. But given the fact that private industry owns 85 percent of the nation’s critical infrastructure and key resources, the Administration simply has not done enough to persuade or compel private industry to protect itself from terrorist attacks and natural disasters. “Toward that end, the Administration should provide adequate funding for port and transit security, and it should endorse – and push for immediate consideration on the Senate floor – the Collins/Lieberman chemical security bill, which was reported out of the Homeland Security Committee unanimously earlier this month. Issuing a revised infrastructure protection plan alone won’t make our country as secure as it should be.” -30-