The House of Representatives’ recent unanimous vote to extend the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program (CFATS) has garnered plaudits from lawmakers and chemical industry organizations.
CFATS is the nation’s first regulatory program focusing specifically on security at high-risk chemical facilities. The effort is managed by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).
CFATS identifies and regulates high-risk facilities, officials said, ensuring security measures are in place to reduce the risk that certain hazardous chemicals are weaponized by terrorists.
Senate Bill S.4148 will now be sent to the President’s desk for signature.
Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Rep. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Homeland Security Committee Republican Leader Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) maintain CFATS has played a key role in keeping high-risk chemical facilities secure through its use of compliance standards addressing unique challenges faced by each facility.
“This is not your garden variety regulatory program; it is vital to our national security,” the lawmakers noted via a joint statement. “We thank our Senate colleagues for coming together to extend this important program for three years and we are proud to join in supporting this effort on the House floor.”
The Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) welcomes the legislation’s passage.
“The CFATS program is integral to the specialty chemicals industry, and our members are both happy and relieved at its extension,” Robert F. Helminiak, SOCMA’s vice president of Legal and Government Relations, said. “Reauthorization provides our industry with the certainty needed to make long-term facility security investments and enables DHS to continue running the CFATS program efficiently, ensuring it properly protects against security threats across the nation.”