There are 110 chemical plants scattered across America where a terrorist attack could expose more than one million people to a cloud of toxic chemicals, said Corzine. In spite of this enormous risk, we have no federal security standards in place for chemical plants. Congress and the Administration need to act swiftly to close this homeland security gap.

Senator Corzines bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify high-priority chemical plants based on the volume and toxicity of chemicals that the plants produce or store and their proximity to population centers. EPA and DHS would then develop regulations to require these high-priority chemical plants to conduct vulnerability assessments and to implement response plans that include security improvements and safer technologies. EPA and DHS would then review the assessments and plans to ensure that they meet the new federal standards.

The bill was passed out of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee by a 19-0 vote on July 25, 2002.