Senate Passes Three-Year CFATS Reauthorization

The Senate on July 2 approved legislation from Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Chairman Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) to reauthorize for another three years a chemical security program that is set to expire in late July.

Johnson has been critical of the program and had urged more voluntary efforts. But colleagues on the committee support the program and had sought a seven-year reauthorization. Johnson agreed to push forward with the three-year extension, which passed by unanimous consent.

The Senate vote followed a June 29 letter from ILTA President Kathryn Clay that encouraged all senators to support reauthorization of the important security program. “CFATS works because site operators and CISA collaborate and communicate to better secure chemicals that could be exploited by terrorists,” Clay wrote. “CFATS provides a demanding but flexible approach to ensuring chemical security by setting a consistent standard for all high-risk chemical facilities. This helps make both facilities and communities safer.”

Senate and House negotiators now need to meet to come up with a common bill. The House of Representatives on March 14 passed legislation to extend CFATS for 18 months. ILTA will support enacting the longest extension that can be passed by both Houses of Congress and signed by the president.