House attempts to extend chemical security act.

PositionSECURITY BEAT: HOMELAND DEFENSE BRIEFS

* The House of Representatives is working on extending a law set to expire in October that aims to harden chemical facilities against terrorist attacks.

Officials with the Department of Homeland Security's chemical facilities antiterrorism standards program, or CFATS, have not had enough time to fully assess all of the country's chemical facilities that may be vulnerable to terrorist attacks.

Under a law Congress passed in 2007, facilities identified as the most vulnerable--designated as tiers one through four i must inventory all hazardous materials, carry out a vulnerability assessment, then draw up site security plans to address any risks.

There are some 7,000 such sites in the United States.

The revised law, the Chemical Facilities Antiterrorism Act of 2009, will fine tune the regulations and make CFATS rules permanent.

"By requiring the highest-risk facilities to switch to safer chemicals or processes when it is econom ically and technologically possible to do so, this legislation will make our communities less vulnerable to a terrorist-designed Bhopal in Boston...

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