Title: Critical infrastructure, terrorism, and the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards: the need for collaboration

Authors: Maria Rooijakkers; Abdul-Akeem Sadiq

Addresses: School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 801 West Michigan Street, BS 4070, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5125, USA ' School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis, 801 West Michigan Street, BS 4070, Indianapolis, IN 46202-5125, USA

Abstract: In response to 9/11 and the increasing concerns over chemical sector security, Congress gave the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) the authority to regulate the safety and security of US chemical facilities. In April of 2007, DHS passed the interim final rule called the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) in order to secure the US chemical infrastructure. Unfortunately, the latest update on CFATS progress by DHS indicated that very few chemical facilities have completed the CFATS process. The slow implementation of CFATS perpetuates the inherent vulnerabilities of US chemical infrastructure and does not augur well for the safety and security of the US population. We argue that collaboration between DHS and the chemical industry can help to speed up CFATS and that communities should not wait for CFATS to ramp up before developing preparedness and response plans in anticipation of future chemical disasters.

Keywords: chemical infrastructure security; Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards; CFATS; terrorism; collaboration; emergency management; homeland security; critical infrastructures; chemical facilities; chemical security; chemical safety; USA; United States; infrastructure vulnerabilities; emergency preparedness; emergency response; response planning; emergency planning; disaster planning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCIS.2015.068615

International Journal of Critical Infrastructures, 2015 Vol.11 No.2, pp.167 - 182

Received: 30 Jul 2013
Accepted: 10 Feb 2014
Published online: 25 Apr 2015 *

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