Another state to check security at chemical plants

According to a story on a Boston, MA television station, Massachusetts may become the second state to have a formal program to check security at local chemical plants. The report quotes a report issued Monday on a homeland security strategy for the state that will include “inspections of smaller chemical facilities”. The report cites the 2006 explosions at a Danvers, MA chemical plant as an example of why the additional checks are needed at smaller facilities.

 

While the Danvers explosions are still technically under investigation by the Chemical Safety Board, a preliminary investigation report cites the accumulation of heptane and isopropanol fumes in the manufacturing building as the source of the explosion. Neither of these chemicals is on the proposed list of DHS Chemicals of Interest (Appendix A to 6 CFR part 27), so it does not appear that the Danvers facility would have been regulated under the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). While this was an accident, with the number of houses and local business buildings destroyed and damaged, this could have been a very successful terrorist attack.

 

If DHS cannot include plants like the Arnel Chemical Plant or the Barton Solvents facility that burned in Wichita in their extensive list of chemical facilities to be regulated, and political constraints from Congress do seem to prohibit that, may be the individual states do have the responsibility to protect their citizens from potential attacks against these facilities. First New Jersey, then Massachusetts; keep an eye on California, I expect that they may be next. It will be interesting to see what regulations Massachusetts puts into place to follow their new homeland security strategy.

Tags: Chemical Facility Security, state programs, Massachusetts to check chemical plants