On July 16, the survival of two key federal programs working to bridge the digital divide was given an additional boost during markup sessions for FY 2003 appropriations.

Several organizations wrote to express their strong support for two bills that address important cyber-security issues, H.R. 2435 (Davis-Moran) and S. 1456 (Bennett-Kyl). December 21, 2001 The PresidentThe Honorable George W. Bush President The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President:

The Senate is currently considering two chemical security bills that seem just about as diametrically opposed to each other as two bills could be. Sen. Jon Corzine’s (D-NJ) Chemical Security Act (S. 1602) is scheduled for mark-up this week. Corzine’s bill would require that facilities that pose hazards to their neighbors look for safer processes and adopt them where feasible. Under the act:

• The EPA and the Department of Justice would identify the highest-priority facilities;

According to Associated Press reports last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) may finally begin to require chemical plants to assess their vulnerabilities to a terrorist attack, and then take measures to reduce those risks. While chemical plants have always posed significant risks to communities from “routine” accidents, the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 prompted a reassessment of these threats and greater sense of urgency in addressing these risks, and as OMB Watch previously reported here, chemical plants have failed to effectively address the threats on their own.