Radical changes in chemical plant security urged:

Thursday, June 16, 2005

WASHINGTON -- Almost four years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Congress moved Wednesday toward securing the nation's chemical plants from terrorists.

Department of Homeland Security officials and industry executives declared during almost 10 hours of testimony in the Senate and House that they would act to end years of lax defenses against terrorists and enact legislation binding one of the most vital elements of America 's critical infrastructure to more stringent rules.

Leading the bipartisan effort, Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told colleagues on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that she would draft legislation by the end of the August recess to prod facilities that store, ship and manufacture potentially catastrophic amounts of toxic and explosive chemicals to better prevent a release that could kill thousands of Americans.

Past congressional efforts to shore up lax security, however, have failed, largely because of lobbying by the $460 billion chemical industry and what Collins termed "tepid" support from the White House. Citing better cooperation from major chemical corporations and President Bush, she believes that's changed.

The administration, for the first time, is testifying publicly that they believe legislation is needed, that voluntary efforts -- while commendable -- aren't sufficient," Collins said. "In previous years, there was also some ambiguity about the administration's position. But now they say the laws are inadequate."

In recent years, the lack of security at dozens of the nation's most potentially deadly plants has been the focus of probes by the Tribune-Review News Service and CBS news magazine "60 Minutes," which showcased how vulnerable plants in Pennsylvania , Houston , Chicago and Baltimore are to terrorist assaults.

Testifying before both House and Senate committees with oversight over his Department of Homeland Security, Undersecretary Robert Stephan estimated that a "worst-case scenario" attack at one unnamed plant would kill almost 10,000 people and injure another 40,000. He said 3,400 plants are considered "high-risk" facilities for targeting by al-Qaida.

While thousands of plants already fall under what Stephan called a patchwork of existing federal and state regulations, he suspects that 20 percent of the most vulnerable sites have no oversight.

Stephan praised the "billions of dollars" in security upgrades by the nation's largest chemical manufacturers -- especially those overseen by the 132 members of the American Chemistry Council trade group -- but he asked for stronger legislation that would give his agents greater power to safeguard plants from attack.

"The chemical industry is doing a lot," he said. "They need to do more, and more authority is needed."

Stephan got no argument from Martin Durbin, director of security for the American Chemistry Council. "It's been 3 1/2 years after 9/11. Now it's time to act," he told legislators.

Pressed by Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass., Durbin said the nation's largest manufacturers