Statement: Co-Sponser of the Chemical Security Act

The way to ensure that the 123 chemical plants in major urban areas and the millions of Americans who live near those plants are better protected against a possible terrorist attack is to make sure that there are comprehensive standards established and enforced by unbiased agencies.

That's why I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of Senator Corzine's Chemical Security Act. We know that terrorists turned planes into missiles and we cannot let them turn our chemical plants or our nuclear power plants into weapons of mass destruction.

The Chemical Security Act requires that Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify high-priority chemical plants based on the volume and toxicity of chemicals that the plants produce or store and their proximity to population centers. EPA and DHS would asses their weaknesses, develop new regulations, and require that these 'high-risk' areas adhere to the federal government's strict standards.

I hope the Administration and the industry will sit down and work with us in earnest to address this issue in a sound, efficient and effective manner. We have a bill that passed unanimously in the Senate Environment Committee last Congress and that should be the starting point for the discussion.

Our proposal would improve security around our nation's chemical plants the old fashioned way—by requiring it.