Congressional Report Uncovers Chemical Security Risks Throughout the Country

An analysis prepared for Rep. Edward Markey (D-MA) by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) reveals that chemical plants endanger millions of Americans in every state. The report demonstrates widespread problems with chemical security and highlights the need for a national policy that will reduce these risks. CRS used information submitted by chemical facilities under the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Risk Management Plan (RMP) program to produce its analysis. The RMP database covers almost 18,000 facilities that use large quantities of toxic and flammable chemicals. (On July 11, OMB Watch made available updated information from the RMP on RTK NET. See related story.) The report reveals that more than 100 facilities place upwards of 1 million people at risk from a chemical release and more than 400 additional 400 facilities place between 100,000 and 1 million people at risk. The CRS report highlights the need not just for provisions to increase security, but also to reduce risk, at these facilities. Any federal chemicals security legislation should include incentives for using safer chemicals and technologies to reduce the number of people at risk from chemical releases. With so many communities at risk throughout the country, the report also demonstrates the need for public access to information on what is being done to protect communities and how well facilities are performing. "There are night clubs in New York City that are harder to get into than some of our chemical plants," notes Markey in a release accompanying the report. "These facilities which pose security risks exist in all 50 states. Twenty-three states, including Massachusetts, contain at least one facility at which a worst-case accident or terrorist attack could threaten more than 1 million people." Markey offered an amendment that included provisions to strengthen security at chemical plants during the April 2005 mark-up of the Department of Homeland Security Authorization Act. However, party-line voting defeated the amendment. Chemical security legislation has faced strong opposition from power chemical industry associations and the Bush administration. However, the administration has recently appears to have reversed its position on chemical security legislation and now supports federal requirements. "While the Bush administration has claimed to abandon its own earlier approach of allowing the chemical industry to regulate itself," explains Markey, "it has refused to put its money where its mouth is and commit to any meaningful security upgrades." As of yet, there are no details on the chemical security provisions that the administration supports.
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