Bill undermines chem security rules - distributors

07 June 2007 18:15  [Source: ICIS news]

TORONTO (ICIS news)--Provisions included in a US spending bill could undermine major new chemical site security measures that are due to take effect this week, the National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) said on Thursday.

 

The US House Appropriations Committee included provisions in the fiscal year 2008 Homeland Security Appropriations bill that would allow for state and local laws to be more stringent than federal standards.

 

NACD president Christopher Jahn said if the bill became law, it would disrupt the implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) legislation passed last year as the Department of Homeland Security would have to amend standards that have already taken effect.

 

The Committee’s chemical security provisions were unnecessary and premature, Jahn said and called on lawmakers to reject them.

 

Under the existing federal regulations, which go into effect on Friday, the Department of Homeland Security may pre-empt state or local rules on chemical site security if they conflict with federal rules.

 

US chemicals makers fear that without such pre-emption the industry may ultimately be facing a patchwork of varying state, local and federal mandates on plant site security.

By: Stefan Baumgarten
+1 713 525 2653

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