U.S. Response:  White House Seeks Voluntary Standards for Chemical Plant Security

The Bush administration is seeking to improve chemical plant security by having the industry trade organization, instead of the federal government, set appropriate standards, the Washington Post reported today (see GSN, April 2).

The bill, being drafted by Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), the White House and the Homeland Security Department, will reflect the environmental policies that U.S. President George W. Bush and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge followed when they were governors, Bush administration officials and activists said.  The bill is expected to be made public by the end of this month, the Post reported.

The White House proposal would have chemical plants adopt enhanced security measures created by the American Chemistry Council, sources said.  It would also require plants to conduct self-assessments of security vulnerabilities under a council-developed plan.

Chemical industry officials have said their plants are already safe and that intervention by Washington would amount to micromanagement. 

“Government commanding changes in our operations can create unintended risks,” said council spokeswoman Kate McGloon.  “Hazard reduction is inherent in everything we do,” she added.

A former security official for the chemical company Georgia-Pacific, however, has criticized the White House approach, according to the Post.

“Refusing to issue prescriptive standards essentially means the industry association is simply creating a smoke-and-mirrors exercise to make it appear that it is issuing bona fide standards,” Sal DePasquale, who was recently laid off by Georgia Pacific, wrote in a recent letter to the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.  “It is not,” he added (John Mintz, Washington Post, April 8).

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International Response:  British U.N. Ambassador Praises U.N. Counterterrorism Progress

By Jim Wurst
Global Security Newswire

UNITED NATIONS — British U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock,  chairman of the Security Council’s Counterterrorism Committee, told the council on Friday that “counterterrorism has now gone global, with the U.N. at the center.”

In his last statement to the council as chairman of the committee, Greenstock said that as a result of its success, the committee could evolve into “a full-time, professional and global body of experts, working with the council.” He added, “The vigor of a central, catalytic body can make a huge difference to the maintenance of global law and order in this vital field.”

The committee was created by Resolution 1373, which was unanimously adopted in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 terror attacks in the United States.  The resolution calls on states to deny safe havens for terrorists, strengthen national antiterrorism laws and work more closely on the regional and global level to combat terrorism.  The committee was established to assist states in fulfilling their obligations and in monitoring the implementation of the resolution.

“Collective effort will pay dividends because no country can prevent terrorism in isolation,” said Greenstock.  “Only governments working together can raise global counterterrorism capacity.  But they have to be organized,” he said.

He said that in 18 months, the committee had received 343 reports from states and had sent 243 detailed letters in response.  Only three states — Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland and Vanuatu — have not filed any reports as required by Resolution 1373.

Greenstock, who has chaired the committee since its creation, is turning that responsibility over to Ambassador Inocencio Arias of Spain.

Speakers in the meeting said collective action has made a difference and called for greater cooperation within and among regional groups and professions, such as police and customs offices, in combating terrorism.  They also highlighted the need to respect human rights in combating terrorism, the need for greater cooperation to ensure that materials for use in weapons of mass destruction are safeguarded, and the need for more technical assistance to countries that are willing but unable to fulfill the mandates of the resolution.

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U.S. Response I:  House of Representatives, Senate Approve White House Funding Request

Both houses of the U.S. Congress last night voted to approve the White House supplemental funding request that would help cover the costs of the war in Iraq and improve homeland security (see GSN, April 3).

The House of Representatives voted 414-12 to approve the request, according to the Washington Post.  The House approved by a voice vote an amendment to the bill that would block France, Germany, Russia and Syria from receiving contracts to aid in the rebuilding of Iraq once the war is over. 

“This amendment sends a signal to our allies that we appreciate those who support us in our time of need and remember those that have sought to thwart coalition efforts to defeat [Iraqi President] Saddam Hussein’s regime,” said Representative George Nethercutt (R-Wash.), one of the sponsors of the amendment.  “The coalition of the unwilling should not participate in reconstruction with U.S. tax dollars,” he added.

The House voted 315-110, however, against an amendment to remove $1 billion from the request for Turkey, which refused to give the United States access to its bases.

“Turkey has stood by us for five decades,” Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.) said.  “They deserve a little leeway for that,” he said (Dewar/Eilperin, Washington Post, April 4).

Representative Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) proposed removing all U.S. Defense Department funding from the request and bringing back U.S. soldiers from Iraq.  Kucinich withdrew his amendment, however, after 15 minutes of discussion (David Firestone, New York Times, April 4).

The Senate voted 93-0 to pass the White House request, according to the Washington Post.  During the debate on the bill, Senator John Ensign (R-Nev.) proposed, and then later withdrew, an amendment that would have denied postwar contracts to French and German companies.

Both the House and Senate bills would give U.S. President George W. Bush slightly more than the $75 billion he had originally requested.  The House version provides $78 billion, while the Senate version provides about $80 billion, the Post reported.  For homeland security funding, the House supported Bush’s initial request of $4.2 billion.  The Senate, however, began with $4.6 billion and then added additional funding, such as $105 million to help state and local health officials conduct smallpox vaccinations and an additional $500 million to help improve homeland security in urban areas.

The House and Senate now plan to hold a quick conference to obtain final passage of the supplemental funding bill before Congress leaves at the end of next week for a spring recess (Dewar/Eilperin, Washington Post).

Bush today praised the House and Senate for their quick passage of the supplemental funding bill.

“I commend the Congress for responding with bipartisan cooperation and speed to my request for supplemental war funding,” Bush said in a press statement.  “The House and Senate took strong and decisive action to provide our troops with the resources necessary to fight and win the war in Iraq, to respond to increased homeland security needs, and to strengthen the capabilities of our allies,” he said (White House release, April 4).

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U.S. Response II:  United States Remains on High Alert for Terror Attacks

U.S. law enforcement officials will remain on high alert while the conflict in Iraq continues, the Associated Press reported today (see GSN,).

While Attorney General John Ashcroft believes there is still a “hidden network of cold-blooded killers” in the United States, security officials noted that there have been no attacks by terror groups or independent extremists.

The FBI has interviewed more than 9,000 of the 11,000 Iraqis who are suspected of traveling to Iraq recently or maintaining ties to the Iraqi military.

“Within a matter of days, we’ll have that completed,” said FBI spokeswoman Susan Dryden.

About 40 Iraqis in the United States have been detained for visa violations but authorities have not filed any criminal charges, AP reported.

Ashcroft said Tuesday the questioning was revealing vital information on the Iraqi infrastructure.

“We appreciate the valuable information we have gained from the cooperation of the Iraqi community in the United States,” he said (Curt Anderson, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, April 4).

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U.S. Response:  Senate Democrats Seek Increased Homeland Security Funds

U.S. Senate Democrats yesterday offered several amendments to President George W. Bush’s request to fund the war in Iraq that sought to increase homeland security funding in a number of areas, according to the Washington Post (see GSN, March 26).  House and Senate appropriators approved about $78 billion in each of their respective supplemental funding bills Tuesday, and legislators began considering additional amendments in the full houses yesterday.

The Senate amendments included adding $4.3 billion for first responders, $2.9 billion for border and transportation security, $400 million to improve the security of nuclear materials and $340 million to help state and local governments handle the cost of smallpox vaccinations, the Post reported.  The increased funding would almost double the $4 billion Bush included for homeland security in his request. 

The Senate voted 52-47 to reject a proposal by Senator Ernest Hollings (D-S.C.) to add $1 billion to Bush’s request to improve port security.  An amendment proposed by Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) to require increased security at chemical plants was defeated on procedural grounds (see GSN, April 2).

The Senate is working to pass the funding request by late today as a sign of support for U.S. troops fighting in Iraq, according to the Post.  The House of Representatives also plans to pass its version of the request today.  Bush and congressional leaders have said they want the request sent to the White House before Congress goes into a two-week recess at the end of next week (Helen Dewar, Washington Post, April 3).

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International Response:  U.N. Terrorism Committee Recommends Two Treaties

The U.N. General Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Terrorism yesterday urged the Assembly’s Legal Committee to form a working group to continue drafting two conventions on terrorism.

The first treaty — a comprehensive convention on international terrorism — is aimed at filling in the gaps left by sectoral treaties, which deal exclusively with particular manifestations of terrorist activity such as hijackings or kidnappings.  The other draft treaty addresses the suppression of acts of nuclear terrorism.

Preliminary agreement has been reached on the majority of the draft treaties’ articles, but some issues remain, including a definition of terrorism.

The committee also recommended keeping on its agenda the question of convening a high-level conference under U.N. auspices to formulate a joint international response to terrorism.  The item has been under consideration since shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks (U.N. release, April 2).

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U.S. Response:  White House Set to Offer Chemical Plant Security Legislation

The Bush administration is expected to send to Congress this month its own proposal for new chemical plant security legislation, the Wall Street Journal reported today (see GSN, March 19).

The White House proposal will not require chemical plants to adopt “safer technologies,” which would replace potentially dangerous chemicals with safer alternatives, according to the Journal.  The safer technologies provision is included in a chemical plant security bill reintroduced in Congress this year by Senator Jon Corzine (D-N.J).  Instead, the White House proposal focuses more on security upgrades at plants.

“Ours is a different approach,” said a Bush administration official.  “I think there’s concern about the amount of regulation we want,’ the official added.

The White House proposal also would make the Homeland Security Department the lead agency on chemical plant security, said a Senate Environment and Public Works Committee staff member.  Corzine’s bill would place the Environmental Protection Agency in the lead, according to the staffer.

Corzine has criticized the Bush administration’s proposal, saying it will not do enough to prevent chemical plants from being targeted by terrorists.

“Hiring more guards and building higher fences is only part of the solution,” Corzine said in a statement.  “Security also means making chemical facilities less attractive targets and less dangerous if an attack were to succeed.  Encouraging industry to use safer technologies will serve this purpose,” he added (Jacob Schlesinger, Wall Street Journal, April 2).

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