The US has lost a critical tool for handling chemical emergencies — let’s get it back

Seven months ago, the United States lost a fundamental tool that for the past 15 years has helped prevent the acquisition and use of dangerous chemicals by terrorists.

The legal authority for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program expired on July 28 after Congress failed to reauthorize it. Without the CFATS program, chemical facilities, first responders, and communities would be exposed to greater and unnecessary risk of chemical terrorism.

CFATS was established in 2006 as a direct response to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Through this program, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) identifies high-risk chemical facilities and works with those facilities to implement critical security measures to prevent dangerous chemicals from falling into the hands of terrorists. I was able to avoid it. Hundreds of high-risk chemicals previously covered by the program have the potential to release toxic gases or cause explosions that could kill thousands of people.

Thanks to the efforts of CISA staff and the partnership of the CISA-regulated chemical industry, the CFATS program has been a huge success. Chemical security inspectors conduct an average of 160 on-site inspections each month across the country, and at least one in three of them resulted in improved security. Importantly, the program also provided a mechanism to conduct background checks, including screening for terrorist ties, on employees, contractors, and visitors accessing these chemicals within these facilities. is. Without this program, we would not be able to sift through her average of 300 new names a day to determine whether these individuals have ties to terrorists.

Additionally, the CFATS program has helped protect first responders who are especially at risk of exposure to deadly chemicals. This happens to be a topic close to my heart. I spent the first 13 years of my career as a first responder. CFATS has and will continue to help prevent dangerous and life-threatening situations. This helps ensure that all first responders return home at the end of the day and that no innocent lives are lost.

More than six months after the CFATS program expired, CISA can no longer say exactly where these dangerous chemicals are in communities or who has access to them. There are currently no mechanisms to screen individuals seeking access to these facilities for terrorist ties, leaving them vulnerable to terrorist attacks. Additionally, when emergencies occur at chemical facilities, first responders trying to save innocent lives can be delayed or harmed by lack of information.

But despite broad bipartisan support from Congress, chemical companies, first responders and others, the program remains unauthorized. The reauthorization bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives by an overwhelming majority of 409 to 1 in July, but deliberations are still stalled in the Senate.

Nationwide, more than 7,000 schools, colleges, and universities are within one mile of a high-risk chemical facility. More than 300 hospitals are also within its reach. Thanks to CFATS, all of that is now safer and more secure. So did the first responders who live in those communities and are responsible for protecting them.

This is a critical national security issue that affects more than 3,200 high-risk chemical facilities and communities across the country. Congress must act now to reauthorize this critical program and keep Americans safe.

Nitin Natarajan is the Deputy Administrator of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.