Senate CFATS Extension Bill Introduced

A bipartisan group of senators introduced new legislation this week that would extend the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS’s) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program for three years. In addition to the three year extension, the bill includes provisions for:

• The creation of a voluntary technical assistance program that would allow DHS to provide recommendations or assistance to covered facilities to aid in compliance with the CFATS program;
• The development of voluntary exercise and training programs to improve collaboration with the private sector and State and local communities under the CFATS program; and
• The creation of a chemical facility best practices clearinghouse and private sector advisory board at DHS to aid in the implementation of CFATS and the voluntary technical assistance program.