Schumer Blasts DHS for Dragging It's Feet on Chemical Plant Security, Particularly Important on Staten Island Following Last Week's Reports of Noxious

Schumer Blasts DHS For Dragging Its Feet On Chemical Plant Security, Particularly Important On Staten Island Following Last Week's Reports Of Noxious Fumes Sickening SI Residents

Schumer Announces Comprehensive Plan to Secure Chemical Facilities, Including New Nationwide Standards and Protections

Located Directly Across from New Jersey's "Chemical Corridor", Thousands of Staten Island Residents Could be in Danger if Chem Plants Attacked; Potential Plume from South Kearney Chlorine Plant Would Harm Over 12 Million in Metro NY Region

Schumer: DHS is Pla

While last week's toxic fumes that sickened Staten Island residents served as a wake-up call for New Yorkers of the enormous potential for disaster if terrorists were to attack the metropolitan area's numerous chemical plants, today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer announced a comprehensive plan to secure chemical facilities by requiring Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to step up to the plate, including setting new national standards and providing support to companies complying with new security regulations. Since the 9/11 attacks, the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly failed to mandate federal regulations to secure one of the nation's most vulnerable terrorist targets.

"By twiddling its thumbs over securing the nation's chemical plants, DHS has once again proven itself incompetent at securing our homeland, but frighteningly effective at endangering thousands of Staten Island residents," said Senator Schumer. "Because we shouldn't have to fear that the next smoking gun will be a cloud of toxic chemicals heading over the Arthur Kill, its well past time to implement only the toughest federal regulations"

Staten Island sits directly across the Arthur Kill and Kill van Kull from New Jersey's "chemical corridor." Due to its dense population of chemical plants, Northern New Jersey has the dubious honor of being home to "the most dangerous two miles in America." The Government Accountability Office reported that New Jersey has six chemical plants that can harm over a million people if attacked. While GAO withheld the facilities' names due to safety concerns, security experts believe the plants are located in the heavily populated two-mile stretch between Newark Airport and Port Elizabeth, a short distance from Staten Island. A recent report issued by the New Jersey Work Environmental Council documented 19 chemical facilities in New Jersey's Middlesex County, a county which sits directly across the Arthur Kill from Staten Island.

The close proximity of New Jersey's chemical plants to Staten Island leaves the island's residents at risk to a terrorist attack on nearby chemical plants. According to the New Jersey Work Environmental Council report, the Kuehne Chemical plant in South Kearney, New Jersey would affect 12 million residents within a 14 mile radius. Thousands of Staten Island residents live within 12 miles of the plant. The Infineum USA plant located in Linden, NJ would affect approximately 4.2 million people living within a 14 mile radius including thousands of Staten Island residents who live within 8 miles. Staten Island has its own chemical plant complex in the Port Mobil storage facility in Charleston where a barge exploded during refueling in February 2003, killing two crew members and releasing black smoke over the area.

Despite the alarming threat posed by the New York metropolitan area's chemical plants, DHS has displayed a disturbing pattern of negligence and a lack of urgency towards upgrading security standards. A DHS report for developing a strategy for protecting the nation's infrastructure, including a plan to protect the chemical plant industry, was long overdue. Finally released in June 2006, the DHS report titled, "National Infrastructure Protection Plan," only established vague guidelines toward protecting the nation's infrastructure and promised to issue industry specific plans in the following 6 months.

While some facilities in the chemical industry are voluntarily addressing plant security, stringent national standards still need to be established and DHS still lacks the authority to effectively regulate facilities. A study released in January by GAO detailed the challenges industry officials face in preparing their facilities against terrorist attacks, including limited guidance on the level of security they should implement.

"Secretary Chertoff hit it dead on when he said ‘the terrorists aren't planning to take this year off,' so why is DHS on permanent vacation when it comes to chemical security?" said Senator Schumer. "Almost five years since the September 11th attacks, the clock has struck midnight and it's high time we secure our nation's most vulnerable terrorist targets."

Today, Schumer championed new legislation to beef up chemical security in the New York Metropolitan area and across the country.

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http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/record.cfm?id=262092&&year=2006&