ICYMI: This week, Homeland Security Today published an op-ed by National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President and CEO Eric R. Byer and American Chemistry Council (ACC) President and CEO Chris Jahn urging the U.S. Senate to immediately reinstate the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Security (CFATS) program following Congress’ failure to reauthorize it by midnight on July 28, 2023.
PERSPECTIVE: Senate Must Act on Chemical Security Before Terrorists Do
DHS leadership recently underscored the importance of CFATS by noting that the agency was contacted a few years ago by a chemical manufacturer about an unusual order.
By: Eric R. Byer and Chris Jahn | September 26, 2023
There’s a hefty list of action items as Congress approaches its funding deadline this week. One item that should be at the top of that list is national security, specifically passing legislation to restore the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Security (CFATS) program.
The loss of CFATS has left the chemical industry managing countless threats without valuable tools and support from DHS. For example, our industry lost the ability to vet, on average, 300 names per day, or 9,000 names a month, to determine whether individuals who are trying to access chemical facilities have ties to terrorism. As the only way private businesses are able to vet individuals for these security purposes, the loss of the CFATS program weakens our national security posture and places employees, facilities, and communities at risk.
Quite simply CFATS works, and the country needs it. That’s probably why the program has been reauthorized four times with strong bipartisan support since it was created. This time around should have been no different, especially since the House approved legislation with resounding bipartisan support to prevent the program from expiring.
Now it’s time for the Senate to do its job and restore CFATS. And it should not take an act of terrorism to make it happen.
To read the full op-ed, click here.
###
NACD and its over 400 member and Affiliate companies are vital to the chemical supply chain providing products to over 750,000 end users. NACD members are leaders in health, safety, security, and environmental performance through implementation of Responsible Distribution, established in 1991 as a condition of membership and a third party-verified management practice. For more information on NACD, visit www.nacd.com.