CFATS and Precursor Chemicals

I ran across an interesting article over on ChemistryWorld.com about an amateur home chemist in the UK who was recently convicted of possessing sulfuric acid and hydrochloric acid without a license. While the UK has a national level regulation of explosive precursor chemicals, there are no such laws on the books in the United States. When the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program was in force (it was allowed to expire last July through inaction in the Senate), manufacturers of explosive and chemical weapon precursor chemicals were at least required to vet their customers to ensure that the chemicals were not being diverted to terrorists to be used in developing terrorist weapons. No such requirement now exists.

Just another reason for Congress to get down to real legislative business and reauthorize the CFATS program.