GAO assesses efforts to enhance Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently assessed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to enhance the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, offering input on progress and challenges.

The GAO recommended the department identify high-risk chemical facilities and noted DHS implemented the recommendation by revising its methodology so it now calculates the risk of toxic release, rather than relying on facilities to do so.

The GAO suggested DHS assess risk and prioritize facilities, adding the department implemented both recommendations by revising the CFATS risk assessment methodology to include threat, vulnerability and consequence to better cover the range of security issues – conducting peer reviews and technical reviews.

With regard to reviewing and approving facility site security plans, the GAO said DHS had made substantial progress in addressing review backlogs, which were estimated to take between nine and 12 months. The GAO said the DHS has since taken additional action to expedite the activities and has eliminated the backlog.

Inspecting facilities and ensuring compliance served as another GAO recommendation. In July 2015, GAO determined nearly half of the facilities DHS inspected were not fully compliant with their approved security plans and did not have documented procedures for managing facilities’ compliance. DHS revised CFATS procedures that, as of February 2019, GAO is reviewing to determine if they sufficiently address the recommendation.