WASHINGTON — U.S. Senator Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, on Tuesday introduced the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2018, which reauthorizes and reforms the Department of Homeland Security’s Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program. The legislation maintains the safety and security of chemical facilities while providing regulatory relief to U.S. chemical companies.
“This bill reauthorizes the CFATS program, which regulates ‘high-risk’ chemical facilities to reduce the risk of terrorist attacks,” said Johnson. “In addition to reauthorization, it introduces management reforms to the CFATS program to bring much-needed regulatory relief to the U.S. chemical industry without compromising the safety and security of these facilities.”
Johnson’s bill can be found here.
Background:
The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program was initially implemented in 2007 to reduce the national security risk posed by terrorists targeting chemical facilities. CFATS currently regulates more than 3,000 high-risk facilities that house certain chemicals, including ammonium nitrate, and chlorine. The program is currently set to terminate in January 2019.
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