The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) were a hot topic of discussion at the Chemical Sector Security Summit & Expo, held July 30 to August 1, in Baltimore, Md. At the Congressional Perspectives Panel, Congressional staff shared their concerns on a multitude of related issues, including personnel security, cybersecurity and what it will take to get long-term authorization of the CFATS program approved by Congress. This meeting comes on the heels of an internal assessment that pointed out the Dept. of Homeland Security’s (DHS) shortcomings in making progress with inspections and site security plan reviews under the program.
At the Congressional Perspectives Panel discussion, Monica Sanders, counsel for the U.S. House of Represenatives Homeland Security Committee, said there needs to be continuity in the program and its leadership, and the internal audit of the program was a game changer in terms of long-term or permanent reauthorization of CFATS.
Congressional staffers also noted that, as a result of the DHS’s implementation of CFATS, Congress will likely maintain close oversight of the program by extending it on a year-by-year basis. Meanwhile, at his keynote address to open the 2012 Summit, DHS undersecretary Rand Beers said DHS has made a lot of progress over the years and has built up the CFATS framework in a short period of time. He said that despite recent challenges, including the internal assessment findings, the department is learning from its mistakes and moving forward to make substantial improvements. He added that while it is difficult to project the level of funding that will be approved by Congress for the next fiscal year, the DHS has made it a priority to work toward permanent reauthorization of CFATS.
Beers and other DHS leaders, such as Suzanne Spaulding, deputy undersecretary, said DHS has already taken measurable steps toward a safer America, citing thousands of facilities that have removed high-risk chemicals or made other changes to meet CFATS requirements.
Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates (SOCMA) president Larry Sloan, who delivered opening remarks at the Summit, said “while these challenges (to CFATS) are all serious, they are not insurmountable.” He said that having a comprehensive set of security standards such as CFATS is in our nation’s best interest, and SOCMA still supports a long-term extension of the program to provide stability moving forward.