Washington, D.C. – The House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday passed Congressman Dan Lungren’s bill to secure thousands of at-risk U.S. chemical facilities from terrorist attack with a majority of Democrats joining Republicans to pass the “common sense extension” of anti-terror legislation.

Lungren, (Republican-CA), who represents Amador County, wrote H.R. 901, the “Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Security Authorization Act of 2011,” which he said Wednesday passed the House Committee on Homeland Security “by a strong bipartisan 26-5 vote.”

Lungren staffer Robert Ehlert said the legislation, as amended, provides a “seven-year extension to the Department of Homeland Security’s authority to regulate the security of high-risk chemical facilities.”

Lungren is Chairman of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. He introduced H.R. 901 March 4. The bill is co-sponsored by Full Committee Chairman Peter T. King (R-NY) and 8 other Committee Members.

King said: “Securing our Nation’s chemical facilities against terrorist attacks is critical to securing our homeland.” He said the “strongly bipartisan” Committee vote “demonstrates that it is common sense legislation” without “imposing additional burdensome, costly, job-crushing regulations on the chemical industry.”

King said without it, Homeland Security “will not be able to continue its work-in-progress of protecting high-risk chemical facilities, their employees, and American citizens living near these facilities.” He said he appreciated “Lungren’s leadership on this issue.”

Lungren said: “Chemical Facilities are a known target of terrorist interest.” He said H.R. 901 “extends the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Security Standards enacted in 2006 for an additional 7 years. This gives industry time to complete their high risk security investments with confidence” that the “program will be continued. It also reaffirms Congress’ commitment to fight terrorism by improving the security of this nation’s chemical facilities.”

Ehlert said in 2006, Congress first authorized the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to regulate security at high-risk chemical facilities. In response, DHS developed Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards, which require high-risk chemical facilities to complete Security Vulnerability Assessments, develop Site Security Plans, and implement protective measures necessary to meet risk-based performance standards established by DHS.

DHS is still in the process of fully implementing facility standards, Ehler said, “necessitating an extension of the existing regulatory authority.

“To date, DHS has reviewed information submitted by more than 39,000 chemical facilities and determined that 4,744 are high-risk and, therefore, covered under” the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards.

H.R. 901, as passed by the Committee Wednesday, “does not impose additional burdensome or costly requirements on chemical facilities,” Ehlert said. “The legislation does not include language mandating so-called inherently safer technologies; allowing civil lawsuits; or extending (Standards) regulations to facilities that have been exempt such as drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities.”

Co-sponsors, all Republicans, are Representatives Mike Rogers (Alabama), Michael McCaul (Texas), Candice Miller (Michigan), Tim Walberg (Michigan), Joe Walsh (Illinois), Billy Long (Missouri), Jeff Duncan (South Carolina), and Tom Marino (Pennsylvania). All are members of the Committee on Homeland Security.

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