ACC lauds security actions at US conference

18 April 2007 20:56  [Source: ICIS news]

ARLINGTON, Virginia (ICIS news)--The US chemical industry has led efforts to boost security since 2001, and stands ready to comply with the latest government regulations, a top official of the American Chemistry Council (ACC) said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the ACC's ChemSecure conference in Arlington, Virginia, Tom Gibson, senior vice president of the industry trade group, estimated that the chemical sector has spent as much as $3.5bn (€2.6bn) on security enhancements since the terror attacks in the US by Al Qaeda on 11 September 2001.

Gibson in his welcome address lauded industry efforts to tighten security while voicing concern over moves by the Democratic majority in Congress to revise the regulations, possibly before they have time to take effect.

"(The ACC's) Responsible Care security code, with which our members are in 100% compliance, is the gold standard for industry security initiatives," and puts US chemical companies ahead of government attempts to regulate the sector, he said.

"It took Congress five years to get security site legislation passed and they're already trying to revise it," he said, pointing out that the supplemental bill for funding the Iraq War has become a "Christmas tree" which would mandate new security regulations that go beyond those scheduled to take effect.

While noting that President George Bush has stated he will veto the bill, Gibson exhorted ACC members to flex their political muscle in opposition to the proposed site security provisions it contains.

"Now's the critical time for you to get in touch with your members of Congress," he told conference attendees.

ChemSecure, the first such conference held by the ACC, runs through Thursday and acquaints some 175 industry attendees with the particulars of the new chemical site security regulations published by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) two weeks ago.

The new rules are to take effect 8 June.

($1 = €0.74)

By: Ed Zwirn
+1 713 525 2653

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