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GOVERNMENT
A senate panel last week approved legislation designed to improve security at chemical plants and facilities that use and store hazardous substances.
The legislation would require chemical plants and facilities such as water treatment plants to assess their vulnerability to attack, then draw up and implement plans to increase their security. These plans would be submitted to and reviewed by EPA. The rewritten bill includes a provision to keep the plans secure and not available to the public, says S. 1602 sponsor Sen. Jon S. Corzine (D-N.J.). Sen. James M. Jeffords (I-Vt.), committee chairman, says he expects further negotiation on the bill, including efforts to toughen federal protection of vulnerability assessments and security plans, before the Senate votes on it. Rick Hind, legislative director of the Greenpeace Toxics Campaign, calls the committee's action on the legislation "a breakthrough in preventing catastrophic attacks on U.S. chemical facilities." The American Chemistry Council remains concerned about the bill, says spokesman Chris VandenHeuvel. Members of the trade association of large chemical manufacturers are already moving to assess and improve the security of their plants and fear the legislation might slow down their progress, he notes. Jeffords says senators are still negotiating over how to address ACC's concern and expects an amendment to the bill on this issue. VandenHeuvel adds, "It's encouraging that there's clear bipartisan support to improve the legislation to make sure that Congress doesn't slow down or stop ongoing progress by our members." House members are expected to introduce legislation similar to S. 1602 soon. |
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