[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 49 (Friday, March 13, 2020)]
[House]
[Pages H1673-H1674]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       EXTEND CHEMICAL FACILITY ANTI-TERRORISM STANDARDS PROGRAM

  (Mr. SHIMKUS asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)

[[Page H1674]]

  

  Mr. SHIMKUS. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the extension of the 
Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program.
  The CFATS program, first authorized in 2006, is a continuation of 
congressional efforts since September 11 to protect the homeland. The 
program surgically and directly addresses gaps in Federal law regarding 
the security of high-risk facilities that use or possess chemicals of 
concern at levels of concern.
  The program is unique in that, to avoid overlapping with other 
Federal programs, CFATS was designed to foster collaboration between 
the government and regulated parties.
  CFATS is a security program. Regrettably, over the years, some have 
tried to make CFATS a safety program, but safety and security are two 
very different things. Security is about protecting your ability to 
operate, and safety is about controlling how you operate. We should 
continue to preserve the program's focus on security.
  Finally, it is imperative that, going forward, we find a way to 
extend the life of the program for a longer period of time, at least 5 
years, in order to give the program, its personnel, and the 
participants the consistency they all need to be successful in their 
mission.

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