|
|||||
|
|||||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|||||
 |
 |
    |
|
|
|||
 |
|
||
|
|||
|
|
|
|
||||||||
|
U.S. Response: Chemical Plant Security Upgrades Are Slow, Activists Say Activists and some U.S. legislators have said the Bush administration is moving too slowly to improve security at U.S. chemical plants, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, May 30). Since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the chemical industry has implemented some new security measures at facilities, such as hiring more security guards, building new fences and reducing stockpiles of chlorine gas and other hazardous materials, the Post reported. There is still no federal security standard for chemical facilities, however, and no way to ensure that the chemical industry is increasing security, according to environmental and community groups. “We need a vigorous federal program to reduce chemical hazards and improve site security,” said Paul Orum, director of the Working Group on Community Right to Know. The chemical industry opposes new government regulations or legislation on facility security, the Post reported. New government action would only “slow down our efforts,” said Chris VandenHeuvel, spokesman for the American Chemistry Council (Eric Pianin, Washington Post, June 13). EPA Proposes Plan The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is expected to propose a plan that would require chemical facilities to submit to a terrorism vulnerability review, according to the Wall Street Journal. After a period of time following the review, chemical companies would then have to demonstrate that they had taken steps to improve security, but whether the EPA would have the power to mandate changes is still unknown, a senior EPA official said. The EPA “expects to be able to make an announcement in the very near future ... the last thing anybody wants is for anything to be delayed or postponed” while Congress debates the creation of the new Homeland Security Department, the agency official said The EPA plan is similar to an American Chemistry Council plan to require its members to determine which of their facilities is most vulnerable to terrorist attack. The EPA plan, however, would apply to 15 times as many facillities as the council plan, according to the Journal. “We certainly hope that any EPA proposal doesn’t run counter to the president’s efforts to organize all security efforts under a single department,” a council spokesman said. Justice Department Delays The Justice Department has not commented on the EPA plan (Ann Davis, Wall Street Journal, June 13), spurring the Natural Resource Council and Democrats in Congress to criticize the department for delays in preparing an assessment of vulnerabilities of chemical plants and chemical transports, according to the Washington Post. Last week department officials sent Congress an interim report that details numerous security problems, but they will be unable to complete a final report by a congressionally mandated August deadline, according to sources. “I find it very worrisome that the administration will not meet the August deadline,” Representative John Dingell (D-Mich.) said (Pianin, Washington Post).
| ||||||||||
Back to top
