The House Energy and Commerce Committee has approved two bills for protecting drinking water and chemical plants from terrorist attacks.

 

The chemical plant bill (HR 2868) would authorize DHS to assess the vulnerability of high-risk chemical plants and set security standards to address potential terrorist threats. HR 2868 would authorize a total of $900 million in fiscal years 2011-13, of which $225 million would be for finding ways to reduce the consequences of a terrorist attack.

 

 

The water security bill (HR 3258) would authorize $315 million for fiscal 2011 to help develop security plans for public water systems that serve populations of more than 3,300. It would create four risk-based tiers for assessing threats to water systems and would require that each system outline security measures.