WASHINGTON, District of Columbia USA — The federal government will tell 7,000 businesses next week that they are considered high risk-terrorist targets because they house large amounts of chemicals.

The sites - which range from major chemical plants to universities, food processing centers and hospitals - will need to complete a vulnerability assessment so the government can decide how to regulate their security measures in the future.

U.S. intelligence officials say terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, favor chemical attack methods because of the severe consequences they can inflict.

"I'm trying to complicate these guys' lives," said Bob Stephan, assistant secretary of infrastructure protection at the Homeland Security Department.

Imposing varying security measures at sites across the country not only secures the materials inside the sites, but it creates a more difficult operation for the terrorists, he indicated.

"This is never going to be an impregnable target set, but I want to introduce enough complexity into the mix that al-Qaida's going to go somewhere else," Stephan told reporters Friday.

Earlier this year, 32,000 businesses with large amounts of chemicals had to complete an online survey that the Homeland Security Department used to determine which facilities' security measures should be regulated. The list was pared down to 7,000. These businesses will go through another vulnerability assessment, and the department will place them into four categories, based on the risk they face.

Homeland security inspectors will eventually visit the highest risk facilities each year to make sure they are complying with enhanced security measures. If these sites do not comply, they could face hefty fines and could ultimately be shut down until they meet federal security standards. As the department considers these 7,000 sites, it also will look at physical security; cyber security; insider threat potential; how hazardous a chemical release could be to the nearby communities; how dangerous the chemicals are if they are mixed with water; and whether the chemicals could be easily stolen from the sites and used to kill.

The list of the 7,000 sites will not be publicly released because of security reasons, the department said.

Congress gave the department the authority to regulate certain chemicals after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Copyright © 2008, The Associated Press.

06-24-2008 06:20 PM  #1
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 2797	Re: Businesses advised to secure chemicals What next?

06-24-2008 10:02 PM  #2
CJK Certified Level One   Joined: May 2008 Posts: 18	Re: Businesses advised to secure chemicals Quote: What next? Hopefully, the November elections... -- Chris

06-25-2008 03:02 PM  #3
R2K Certified Level Three   Joined: Jul 2007 Posts: 212	Re: Businesses advised to secure chemicals Quote: Hopefully, the November elections... -- Chris Haha... But seriously, we need a 5 color chart to show how risky each location is. From Blue (a quarry) to red (Sandia Natnl Labs, my 6-38mm reloads, etc.) "I'm trying to complicate these guys' lives," said Bob Stephan, assistant secretary of infrastructure protection at the Homeland Security Department. Odd, I would shoot for "End these guys lives." as a priority.

06-25-2008 04:00 PM  #4
UncleVanya If pigs had fins...   Joined: Sep 2007 Posts: 2797	Re: Businesses advised to secure chemicals Quote: "I'm trying to complicate these guys' lives," said Bob Stephan, assistant secretary of infrastructure protection at the Homeland Security Department. I saw this and hoped it was in reference to the terrorists who might try to obtain the chemicals - but the first time I read it I thought he was talking about the people who run the companies! Quote: Odd, I would shoot for "End these guys lives." as a priority. I suspect that's one version of "Complicate"... But here again the first time I read this I was thinking you meant sarcastically that they were trying to run the businesses out of business which would end their owners "lives".

06-25-2008 04:21 PM  #5
Just Jerry Freeform rockets advocate   Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 1115	Re: Businesses advised to secure chemicals As someone who was formally asked to fill out the form, which I find interesting since they obviously have a list of folks they EXPECT to get responses from, I took note of some of the aspects. On the one hand they do seem to be genuinely trying to identify where LARGE quantities (rail, tank) of chemicals are and they do try to rank them by hazard by differentiating between radioactive, chlorine, and fertilizer, for example. If your fertilizer plant explodes, you wipe out the 2 mile radius. If your chlorine plant goes kablooie there is a downwind hazard for 40 miles or so. They look at that. But let's be clear. It is the U.S. government. Doing things as governments always do. They have fixed format forms, designed badly, and NOT context sensitive, and they are collected and reviewed by career bureaucrats, who really don't need one more thing to do. So what will really happen is there will be no net impact on safety, but a bunch of companies will be fined for not filling out the form right, or at all, then when inspections are done, fines will be given for things the companies either did not change or could not change due to 100 years of systems integration. The badly run agency will, of course KEEP all the fine money they levy. Further reducing future safety by sucking money OUT of any safety loop. I suggest if a government finds a company to be a risk, they build a fence around it at their own expense, post some guards and remote sensors, and do homeland security WITHOUT wrecking the economy and sending more businessmen to BK and jail. Just ignored Jerry