C&EN: TODAY'S HEADLINES - Congress Seeks Terrorism Study Data From EPA

JEFF JOHNSON

Details of a federal study of 31 chemical companies that determined their vulnerability to a terrorist attack are being sought by the chairman of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, Rep. W. J. (Billy) Tauzin (R-La.).

Tauzin and other committee leaders made the request in a letter to EPA, which performed the assessment using companies that had volunteered to be scrutinized. The information the House committee is seeking might begin to pierce a veil of secrecy that has surrounded industry vulnerability and government actions to ensure that chemical plants are not vulnerable to attack.

House interest in chemical industry vulnerability to terrorism is new. The Senate has been debating the issue for two years (C&EN, Sept. 23, 2002, page 15).

The companies examined are in highly populated areas and handle large amounts of toxic material, according to the House committee’s letter to EPA. The committee wants the information by March 10 and has instructed the agency not to identify facilities.

A committee staff member was unsure if the data would be made available to the public. An EPA official said the agency would not make public even a sanitized report in which companies are not identified.

Both EPA and Department of Homeland Security spokesmen say the agencies support requiring companies to conduct terrorist vulnerability assessment and take action. However, they would offer no details and had no estimates of when legislation might appear.

Chemical industry trade associations have created voluntary programs for members that are a very small subset of companies that handle large quantities of toxic materials.