The Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Environment held a hearing on June 14, 2018, entitled “The Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards Program (CFATS) – A Progress Report.” Hearing witnesses included:
- Dave Wulf – Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Infrastructure Protection, U.S. Department of Homeland Security;
- Yvette Arellano – Policy Research and Grassroots Advocate, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services;
- Doug Brown – President and COO, Brown Chemical Company
- James Conrad – Principal, Conrad Law and Policy Counsel, on behalf of Society of Chemical Manufacturers and Affiliates;
- Chris P. Currie – Director, Emergency Management; National Preparedness; and Critical Infrastructure Protection, Homeland Security and Justice Team, U.S. Government Accountability Office;
- Steve Roberts – Principal, Chemical Security Group, LLC; and
- Dr. Mike Wilson – National Director, Occupational and Environmental Health, BlueGreen Alliance.3
The hearing addressed the following issues, among others:
- How well has the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implemented the program and is implementation aligned with current congressional intent?
- How is DHS addressing the challenges GAO has identified with the program in the past, including risk assessments and tiering, stakeholder outreach, and pace of work?
- Do CFATS and associated regulations appropriately balance homeland security and stakeholder needs?
- Should CFATS authority be reauthorized, modified, or allowed to expire? What are the implications of each of those actions?