Across the U.S., thousands of industrial facilities use and store hazardous chemicals in large quantities that pose great, and often unnecessary, risks to the general public. For example, 50 oil refineries across the country use hydrofluoric acid, putting over 15 million Americans at risk of injury or death from an accident or terrorist attack, even though safer alternatives exist that would eliminate the threat.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is debating legislation supported by the chemical industry that would make security guidelines at chemical facilities voluntary and could exempt parts of the industry from any regulation.

Please take a moment to ask your senators to oppose the industry-supported Senate Bill 994 and support amendments that would increase public accountability and close industry loopholes. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=456&id4=OHFreep

Across the U.S., thousands of industrial facilities use and store hazardous chemicals in large quantities that pose great, and often unnecessary, risks to their neighbors. One specific threat comes from 50 oil refineries across the country whose use of hydrofluoric acid puts over 15 million Americans at risk of injury or death in the event of an accident or terrorist attack, even though safer alternatives exist that would completely eliminate the threat.

And the threat of a terrorist attack on a vulnerable facility is frighteningly real: on February 12 of this year, the National Infrastructure Protection Center cautioned, "Al Qa'ida operatives may attempt to launch conventional attacks against the U.S. nuclear/chemical-industrial infrastructure to cause contamination, disruption, and terror." Various reporters and activists continue to find lax security at a variety of sites around the country, gaining access to storage containers of toxic chemicals and other dangerous locations.

But, despite the threat, Congress has not taken action to make chemical facilities safer and protect the people living near them. The best way to reduce the threat of a terrorist attack or devastating accident at a chemical facility is to replace unsafe chemicals with safer alternatives. For that to work, the public needs to be able to hold chemical facilities accountable for the hazards they pose.

The Chemical Security Act (S. 157), sponsored by Senator Corzine (NJ), would require chemical facilities to submit a safety plan to the government and to consider changing the chemicals and processes to a safer alternative where such an alternative exists. And the public would have the right to know what facilities are using safer chemicals and safer processes.

In contrast, the industry-supported Chemical Facilities Security Act (S. 994), sponsored by Senator Inhofe (OK), not only keeps the public in the dark regarding security efforts, it also includes a major loophole that would make security guidelines voluntary and could exempt parts of the industry from any regulation.

Standards should be applied consistently across the board, and the government should protect the public through tough security standards instead of voluntary guidelines. Two years after 9/11, Congress has heavily regulated the airline industry, and even set up a new Department of Homeland Security to coordinate security efforts. Nothing, however, has been done to address the gaping hole in our national safety posed by chemical facilities.

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee is expected to debate this legislation soon. Please take a moment to ask your senators to oppose the industry-supported Senate Bill 994 and support amendments that would increase public accountability and close industry loopholes. Then, ask your family and friends to help by forwarding this e-mail to them.

To take action, click here or paste this link into your web browser: pirg.org/alerts/route.asp?id=456&id4=OHFreep

Sincerely,
Erin Bowser