Hearing of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee - Business Meeting

Statement

would like to thank our Chairman for having this business meeting
today during, what has been, a very busy week for us. Thank you Mr. Chairman.

I would like to discuss the "Continuing Chemical Facilities Antiterrorism
Security Act of 2011" which I re-introduced this past March along with my co-
sponsors Senators Portman, Pryor and Landrieu. This is a straight-forward,
common-sense reauthorization of the CFATS program.

After September 11, 2001, we realized that chemical facilities were
vulnerable to terrorist attack. Given the hazardous chemicals present at many
locations, terrorists could view them as attractive targets, yielding loss of life,
significant injuries, and major destruction if successfully attacked.

In 2005, as Chairman of the Committee, I held a series of hearings on
chemical security. Following these hearings, Senators Lieberman, Carper, Levin, and I introduced bipartisan legislation authorizing the Department of
Homeland Security to set and enforce security standards at high-risk chemical
facilities. That bill was incorporated into the homeland security appropriations
act that was signed into law in 2006.

To implement this new authority, DHS established the Chemical Facility
Anti-Terrorism Standards program, or CFATS. The program sets 18 risk-based
performance standards that high-risk chemical facilities must meet. These
security standards cover a range of threats, such as perimeter security, access control, theft, internal sabotage, and cyber security.

High-risk chemical facilities covered by the program must conduct mandatory vulnerability assessments, develop site security plans, and invest in protective measures.

The Department must approve these assessments and site security plans,
using audits and inspections to ensure compliance with the performance
standards. The Secretary has strong authority to shut down facilities that are
non-compliant.

This risk-based approach has made the owners and operators of chemical
plants partners with the federal government in implementing a successful,
collaborative security program.

This landmark law has been in place slightly more than four years. As a
direct result, security at our nation's chemical facilities is much stronger today.
Now we must reauthorize the program. Simply put, the program works
and should be extended.

Last July, the Homeland Security Committee unanimously approved
bipartisan legislation I authored with Senators Pryor, Voinovich, and Landrieu
to extend CFATS for three more years. I reintroduced this bill with Senators
Pryor, Portman, and Landrieu in early March this year.

The bill would establish a voluntary exercise and training program to
improve collaboration with the private sector and state and local communities
under the CFATS program; create a voluntary technical assistance program; and create a chemical facility security best practices clearinghouse and private sector advisory board at DHS to assist in the implementation of CFATS.

I am conscious of the risks our nation faces through an attack on a
chemical facility. That is why I authored this law in the first place and worked
hard to get it enacted. We should support the continuation of this successful
security program. I urge my colleagues to support this important bill.

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