Chemical Security Legislation Under Consideration

S. 2145, legislation sponsored by Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.), gives the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regulatory authority to set and enforce security standards for facilities that produce and store hazardous chemicals.

The Collins-Lieberman bill, H.R. 3197, directs DHS to set security standards for various tiers of facilities - based on risk - and require plants to set-up vulnerability assessments, security plans and emergency response measures.

The House Homeland Security Committee is also meeting to mark-up legislation regulating ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make explosives. The bill, H.R. 3197, would permit DHS to write rules making companies who produce, store, sell or distribute ammonium nitrate to register their facilities.