Facility security
Chemical facilities in the United States are required to follow federal regulations and standards to ensure the safety of their employees, operations and surrounding communities. Facilities throughout the country maintain a high level of security by working with the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Coast Guard to enforce the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program and Marine Transportation Security Act regulations.
AFPM supports the current Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program as a sound, responsible and highly effective chemical facility security policy that helps protect our nation against terrorist attacks. We support maintaining the existing program to provide regulatory certainty and to allow the current CFATS program to mature.
The CFATS program was created in 2007 under the Department of Homeland Security to regulate security at chemical facilities that use large quantities of “high-risk” chemicals. High-risk facilities are those that are considered to present potential hazardous conditions to the safety and health of people in the area, and for the national economy and security. The law requires “high risk” facilities to conduct security vulnerability assessments and develop site security plans that are submitted to the Department of Homeland Security for approval.
AFPM has supported the Marine Transportation Security Act regulations since they were first created in 2002. MTSA was created to establish a consistent security program for all the nation's ports to better identify and deter threats. AFPM also supports the Coast Guard's recent strengthening of the program through enhanced training, auditing and cyber security, and the development of a final Transportation Worker Identification Credential Reader Rule.
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