ACD Press Release

This week, NACD staff and representatives from NACD member companies Columbus Chemical Industries and Brown Chemical Co., Inc. participated in meetings on Capitol Hill to discuss the importance of securing the multi-year reauthorization of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program that regulates high-risk chemical facilities to ensure they have security measures in place to thwart bad actors.

Randall Eppli, President and CEO of Columbus Chemical Industries, testified at a June 12 U.S. Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee roundtable on CFATS. In his submitted remarks, he said:

Both industry and DHS need reasonable predictability. As the threat environment is long-term, so too should the authorization of the CFATS program. Columbus Chemical Industries, Inc. supports CFATS and looks forward to working with the committee on legislation that streamlines the CFATS program during the reauthorization process of this important security regulation in the coming weeks and months. 

On behalf of NACD, Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Jennifer Gibson also testified at the Senate roundtable. In her official remarks, she stated:

Following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, distributors were the first sector of the chemical industry to mandate security measures for its members. Over the past 16 years, NACD members — both CFATS-regulated and non-CFATS-regulated companies — have made substantial investments to make their facilities more secure. NACD believes the CFATS program is strong and needs minimal change other than a multi-year reauthorization.

Doug Brown, President and CEO of Brown Chemical Co., Inc., testified at a June 14 hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Environment. In his remarks, he stated:

Brown Chemical supports a long-term reauthorization of CFATS. Since its establishment in 2007, the industry has invested significant capital and training resources towards enhanced or augmented security measures at our facilities. While these resources did not necessarily assist to grow our business, they were nonetheless important to ensure the security of my company, employees, and the community. A multi-year reauthorization of CFATS would provide needed certainty and enhance the security of chemical facilities and our nation.

Regarding the two events, NACD President Eric R. Byer emphasized, “Reauthorizing CFATS is an issue that must not go unaddressed. The program has undeniably made our nation and our industry safer. It’s essential that Congress hears directly from us about how this issue positively contributes to national security.”