Some 10,000 US firms register for site rules

WASHINGTON (ICIS news)--As many as 10,000 companies have already registered for screening under new federal antiterrorism regulations, US officials said on Tuesday.

The procedure is required to determine which chemical facilities will require government scrutiny of their precautions against terrorist actions.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said those companies have begun the initial “top screen” review in which each registered firm must complete an online process to identify which chemicals the facility produces, uses or stores and in what quantities.

Depending on the chemical substance and the amount that a facility has or expects to have during a year, a site may be categorized as “high risk” and required to meet federal standards for security measures to deter or prevent a terrorist attack meant to cause widespread casualties.

The antiterrorism site security regulations were mandated by Congress late last year in a long-delayed response to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks on the US.

The department expects that as many as 40,000 sites involved in the production, use or storage of any of some 350 chemical compounds will be registered within the first year.

Ultimately, the department believes that as many as 8,000 US facilities will fall within one of four tiers or levels of risk that will require varying degrees of department oversight for their antiterrorism security measures.

A department spokesman said that of the 10,000 facilities that have begun the top screen review process, about 800 have completed the online sequence.

How many of those will fall into the high risk category is not yet known because the department’s list of chemical substances and their threshold amounts has not been given final approval.

Final action on the list is being held up because a coalition of US senators representing farm states wants propane removed from the department’s list, arguing that small farmers and other rural businesses that store and use propane for fuel will be needlessly burdened by the regulations.

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Europe Lunchtime Bulletin 27 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly