America’s battle against chemical terrorism is in jeopardy

By adhering to the CFATS standards, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) effectively safeguards the public against potential dangers stemming from hazardous chemicals. This is achieved by identifying facilities that handle specific high-risk chemicals and implementing robust security measures. The significance of this endeavor cannot be overstated, as an attack on any of these chemical facilities could be as catastrophic as a nuclear explosion.

On Tuesday, leaders from the chemical industry will convene to discuss the current state of chemical security. This gathering takes place against the backdrop of Congress failing to renew the program, thereby incapacitating CISA from carrying out this paramount national security function.

Since its inception in 2006, CFATS has enabled CISA to maintain a regular presence at chemical facilities, conducting 160 inspections per month. These inspections have revealed critical gaps in chemical security, such as the inability to detect intruders, inadequate access controls, incomplete patching of cyber systems, vulnerability scanning deficiencies, insufficient security training, and absence of background investigations. As a result, facilities have significantly improved their security posture by an average of nearly 60%, thanks to risk identification and subsequent implementation of enhanced security measures.

While CISA offers resources and tools to help facilities enhance their security through a voluntary program called Chemlock, it cannot serve as a substitute for CFATS. Without CFATS authority, we are unable to ensure that chemical facilities are effectively mitigating the potential terrorist exploitation of hazardous chemicals. We lack the ability to rigorously vet an average of 300 new individuals daily who seek access to dangerous chemicals in order to identify any potential ties to terrorism. Furthermore, we are unable to process new submissions from facilities to determine whether they meet the CFATS thresholds for dangerous chemicals, resulting in unknown quantities and locations of such materials to both CISA and local first responders, thereby leaving these sites susceptible to terrorist threats.

Communities nationwide face heightened risks until Congress reinstates this critical and bipartisan program. We must prioritize preventing the weaponization of chemicals by individuals seeking to harm the American people.