Today the President signed an new executive order (number
will be published when this goes to the Federal Register, probably next week)
addressing the improvement of safety and security at chemical facilities. Most
of the plan deals with increasing cooperation and coordination between all
levels of government and between all government agencies that have at least
some responsibility for chemical safety and security.
There are a couple of specific issues that call for action
by the CFATS folks (ISCD/NPPD at DHS). They include:
Within 90 days of the date of this
order, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall assess the feasibility of
sharing Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) data with SERCs,
TEPCs, and LEPCs on a categorical basis. §3(c)
Within 90 days of the date of this
order, the Secretary of Homeland Security shall identify a list of chemicals,
including poisons and reactive substances, that should be considered for
addition to the CFATS Chemicals of Interest list. §6(d)
There are a wide variety of other safety and security
actions that will have to be undertaken by the Chemical Facility Safety and
Security Working Group (CFSSWG). That group will be co-chaired by the Secretary
of DHS, Secretary of Labor, and the Administrator of the Environmental
Protection Agency; the three groups with primary legal responsibility for
chemical safety and security laws. The CFSSWG will also include representatives
from the Department of Justice, Agriculture and Transportation.
I’ll have more on this later today.
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2 comments:
Does this impact the current exemption of water and wastwaer facilities undr CFATS for TQs of chlorine or hydrogen peroxide?
At this point nothing changes, it will take Congressional action to change law exempting water treatment facilities.
BUT... EPA could add chemical security requirements to existing water security requirements.
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