Date: 2014-07-08
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Mr. Speaker. as a senior member of the House Committee on Homeland Security. I rise in support of H.R. 4007. the Chemical Facility AntiTerrorism Standards Program Authorization and Accountability Act is a step forward in securing our nation from potential terrorist attacks or threats to the homeland. I want to acknowledge the work of Chairman ROGERS and Ranking Member THOMPSON that resulted in this bill being considered by the Full House. During Full Committee consideration of H.R. 4007. two Jackson Lee Amendments were unanimously agreed to for inclusion in the bill. The first Jackson Lee Amendment directs the Secretary to establish an outreach plan to facilitate collaboration between the Department and the owners and operators of small chemical facilities for the purpose of assisting them with the development of physical security best practices. This collaboration will begin with established relationships. which exists among local and state authorities. and small chemical facility owners and operators. The Secretary will create opportunities to incorporate Regional Directors and Protective Security Advisors within the collaborative framework that is developed with the full cooperation and input of small chemical facility owners and operators who elect to participate. Large chemical facilities will have access to nearly unlimited resources to meet their own security needs. but smaller chemical facilities may not have the resources to protect themselves from similar terrorist threats. The second Jackson Lee Amendment creates opportunities for small chemical facility operators and owners to gain more insight or guidance on improving their facilitys physical security. The third Jackson Lee Amendment allows the Secretary Homeland Security to consult with the Government Accountability Office to investigate the feasibility and applicability of a third party accreditation program that would work with industry stakeholders to develop site security plans. This amendment would allow chemical facility owners and operators to devise challenging tests. and exercises that pit their knowledge against what terrorists may attempt to do should their facility become a target. These amendments will assist chemical facility security experts in thinking of potential threats before terrorists do so that they may take steps to eliminate them before terrorists could exploit discovered vulnerabilities. Since September 11. 2001. security experts have warned of vulnerabilities that exist should terrorists plan to attack a chemical facility located within the United States or far worse use unlawful access to a facility. pipelines. or transit routes to steal chemicals for an attack. The 18th Congressional District which I serve is home to some of the worlds largest Chemical producers which employ thousands of Houston area residents to provide the nation with products are vital to our nation and its economy. Chemicals are a vital and common presence in the lives of all of our nations citizens. but we often forget how dangerous they can be under the wrong conditions. On April 17. of last year the small town of West Texas felt the power and destructive force of ammonium nitrate when an accidental fire ignited what is believed to have been between 140 to 160 tons of the chemical. This was no terrorist attack. but a very tragic accident. The accident in the town of West Texas reminded all of us who represent districts that count chemical plants or their owners and operators as constituentsthat these facilities should have the resources necessary to protect their property from potential terrorists threats or attacks. H.R. 4007 reestablishes the Chemical Facility AntiTerrorism Standards (CFATS) Program. under which the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) is required to: establish riskbased performance standards designed to protect covered chemical facilities from acts of terrorism. require such facilities to submit security vulnerability assessments and develop and implement site security plans. review and approve or disapprove each such assessment and plan. arrange for the audit and inspection of covered chemical facilities to determine compliance with this Act. and notify. and issue an order to comply to. the owner or operator of a facility not in compliance. The legislation is based upon feedback and information the Homeland Security Committee and the Committee on Energy and Commerce received through countless meetings with industry stakeholders. the regulated community. first responders. union representatives. the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee. and the Department of Homeland Security itself. Among the benefits H.R. 4007 provides are: Greatly improved coordination and communication between DHS and the owners and operators of chemical facilities. Enhanced information sharing with the first responders who put themselves in harms way dealing with chemical facility incidents. like the tragedy at West. TX. A more workable employeescreening methodology. that allows facility owners and operators to implement procedures that make sense and ensure maximum security. The elimination of the problem of "outlier" chemical facilities (currently. there are thousands of facilities still unknown to DHS) to ensure no facility remains "off the grid". The certainty that chemical infrastructure security will no longer hang in the balance with each years appropriations cycle. Ensures that whistleblower protections available to facility workers who report security issues to DHS are clearly articulated in all CFATS media and materials. Greater Department accountability through mandatory biannual GAO audits of the CFATS program to provide for informed and thorough Congressional oversight. I ask my colleagues from both side of the aisle to support this bipartisan bill. which received strong support from the Committee on Homeland Security.