BIPARTISAN COMMITTEE LEADERS REQUEST INFORMATION REGARDING THE SECURITY OF FACILITIES HANDLING CERTAIN CHEMICALS

Letter

On October 4, 2006, the legal authority first creating the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program first became effective. CFATS requires certain facilities, whose possession or planned possession of chemicals at or above certain levels determined to present "high levels of security risk,' to assess their vulnerabilities and implement security measures to minimize terrorism risks posed by those vulnerabilities. These facilities can fall under numerous types of industries and sectors, including chemical manufacturing, storage and distribution, energy and utilities, agriculture and food, explosives, mining, electronics, plastics, colleges and universities, laboratories, paint and coatings, and healthcare and pharmaceuticals.

On July 27, 2023, the statutory authority undergirding the entire CFATS program is scheduled to sunset. In anticipation of any congressional efforts to extend the CFATS's program, we would like to understand better the operation of CFATS.

Source