Chemical Facility Anti-terrorism Standards

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The Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program identifies and regulates high-risk chemical facilities to make sure they have security policies in place to reduce the risks associated with these chemicals. Originally authorized by Congress in the year 2007, the program uses a lively multi-tiered risk assessment procedure. It needs facilities identified as high-risk to meet and keep performance-based security levels appropriate to the facilities and the risks they cause. Chemical security inspectors work in he fifty states to help ensure facilities have security measures in place to meet the requirements of Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (LOUGHIN, 2011)
CFATS Act 2014
On December 18th, 2014, the president of the United States signed into law securing and protecting Chemical Facilities from Terrorists Attacks, which codifies and reauthorizes the CFATS program 4 years. This new law lays the basis for the continued maturation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, adding new provisions while preserving many existing regulations. Importantly, the Act establishes an expected endorsement ...
... program, which might allow chemical facilities in Tiers 3 and 4 to relocate to an approved area security plan more rapidly. The Department guidance is to be issued in the summer of the year 2015 (US Senate passes amended version of CFATS bill, 2014).
Development of the Interim Final Rule
The America Department of Homeland Security has released an Interim Final Rule that inflicts comprehensive federal security laws for high-risk chemical facilities. The rule establishes risk- based performance standards for the security of the Unites States’ chemical facilities. The rule requires chemical facilities that are covered to prepare Security Vulnerability Assessments, which discovers facility security vulnerabilities, and create and implement Site Security Plans, Which consist of measures that satisfy the identified risk-based performance levels. Interim Final Rule accepts certain covered chemical facilities, in specified conditions to submit Alternate Security Programs In lieu of a Security Vulnerability Assessment.
Though section 550 of the Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Act gives the Secretary of the Homeland Security Department the power to issue interim final rules without prior to comment and notice, the Department of Homeland Security decides to release an advance Notice of Rulemaking on 21st December, 2006. The notice comments on the proposed text of the interim final rule regulation as well as on a variety of implementation and policy issues associated with the chemical security program. The Unit received helpful and numerous comments from various stakeholders, scrutinized these recommendations and included many of the in the Interim Final Rule.
Facilities Covered by the Chemical Security Regulation
Facilities that may be required to act in accordance with at least some provisions of the CFATS regulation will fall into the following groups: 1. chemical manufacturing, storage, and distribution. 2) Energy and utilities. 3) Agriculture and food 4) Explosives. 5) Paints and coatings. 6) Mining. 7) Electronics, plastics, and healthcare.
To examine which chemical facilities meet the Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards criteria for chemical facilities with high risk, the Unit created a Chemical Assessment Tool Top-screen. A questionnaire which is easy to use on-line that must be filled by facilities that had any chemical on the CFATS above or at the listed Screening Threshold Quantity for each chemical, the day the Appendix was published. Also any chemical facility that comes into possession of any listed chemical in the Appendix they must fill and submit the questionnaire (CSAT) Top-Screen. In addition, the Department may also inform facilities either directly or via a Federal Register notice that they need to fill and submit a Chemical Security Assessment Tool Top Screen.
Homeland Security Department currently does not plan to control railroad facilities that are used to store in rail vehicles large amounts of chemicals or materials. In the Department of Homeland Security chemical of interest list and does not ask railroads complete the questionnaire (CSAT Top-Screen). Likewise, Homeland Security Department has no intention presently of acquiring long-haul natural gas pipelines to fill the CSAT Top-Screen. However, facilities otherwise covered by this law and with a pipeline within their limits must identify the pipeline as an asset and address it, as suitable, in the Site Security Plan (HESS, 2014).

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