Department
of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano today (Wednesday, July
07, 2010) delivered remarks highlighting the Department's ongoing efforts to
bolster security and increase resiliency at high-risk chemical facilities
through the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program at the
2010 Chemical Sector Security Summit.
"Securing
our nation's chemical sector requires extensive collaboration with our private
sector partners," said Secretary Napolitano. "Flexible, practical and
collaborative programs such as DHS' National Infrastructure Protection Plan, the
Chemical Sector Coordinating Council and CFATS play a key role in enhancing the
security and resiliency of our nation’s chemical facilities and other critical
infrastructure."
In
her remarks, Secretary Napolitano outlined ongoing efforts to identify high-risk
chemical facilities through CFATS, and underscored the importance of the
program's common-sense performance standards to help protect individual
facilities against threats without compromising their unique operational
characteristics or efficiency.
Secretary
Napolitano also highlighted the Department's unique role in combating chemical
security threats through both regulatory and voluntary programs—a coordinated
effort which includes multiple agencies and missions within the Department.
For
instance, the Coast Guard has significant regulatory authority over chemical
facilities along ports and waterways as part of the Maritime Transportation
Security Act while the Transportation Security Administration works with
industry partners to protect hazardous chemicals transported by rail and
pipelines.
Additionally,
to ensure the security of citizens throughout the nation, U.S. Customs and
Border Protection screens cargo at our land and sea ports of entry to prevent
chemical and radiological threats from entering the country, while the National
Protection and Programs Directorate's Office of Infrastructure Protection works
directly with the chemical sector to ensure compliance with CFATS, and with the
Chemical Sector Coordinating Council on a variety of voluntary security
initiatives.
Underscoring
the interconnectedness of the chemical sector to other sectors including
energy, transportation and agriculture, Secretary Napolitano also emphasized
the importance of cybersecurity—in addition to physical security measures—as a
key part of any critical infrastructure security strategy.
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