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SENATE BALKS AT FUNDING FOR STUDY OF
TERRORISM PREVENTION AT CHEMICAL PLANTS
See Chemical Accident Preparedness Maps.
After using the threat of terrorism to undermine the
public's right-to-know about chemical plant hazards,
the Congress is now balking at funding a simple study
of security at chemical plants.
(Somehow this comes as no surprise.)
Here's what you can do:
After reviewing the Press Release below, ask the
Republican's staff on this (for Senator Smith, chair
of the Environment and Public Works Committee) about
funding the study. That's Chris Hessler at
202-224-6176.
For more background see http://www.rtk.net/wcs/site.htm
Paul Orum
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Press Release
October 5, 2000
Contacts:
Paul Orum
Working Group on Community Right-to-Know, 202-544-9586
Jeremiah Baumann
U.S. Public Interest Research Group, 202-546-9707
SENATE BALKS AT FUNDING FOR STUDY OF
TERRORISM PREVENTION AT CHEMICAL PLANTS
The U.S. Senate reportedly won’t fund a Department of
Justice study of anti-terrorism preparedness at
chemical-using industries. Congress authorized the
study last year in the Chemical Safety Information,
Site Security and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act. This
Act also severely restricted public information on
chemical companies’ spill and explosion hazards after
the Department of Justice asserted that chemical
plants are attractive targets for terrorists.
“The Senate’s inaction confirms that Congress is more
interested in protecting the chemical industry than in
protecting public safety,” said Paul Orum of the
Working Group on Community Right-to-Know, a public
interest watchdog organization.
“After blindfolding the public about chemical hazards
at the behest of the chemical manufacturers, the
Senate is now failing to even fund studies of those
same hazards,” said Jeremiah Baumann of U.S. Public
Interest Research Group.
The groups questioned why Congress last year
restricted the public’s right-to-know but this year
won’t fund a study to improve safety at chemical
plants.
Environmental, labor, and public health organizations
have long advocated for safer technologies that reduce
chemical company dangers to workers and communities.
Thanks in part to that advocacy, chemical companies
were required to prepare ‘worst-case’ chemical
accident scenarios under the Clean Air Act of 1990.
These scenarios indicate the neighborhoods, schools,
hospitals, and other vulnerable sites that could fall
within the path of an explosion or toxic gas release.
A dozen environmental, labor, and public health groups
recently called for the Department of Justice to
include a serious reduction in chemical hazards in the
site security study. (See www.rtk.net/wcs/site.htm)
On August 4, the Department published rules
restricting the public’s right-to-know, but had not
even started an interim site security report to
Congress due on the same date. (The interim report
was due to the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee and to the House Commerce Committee.) The
Senate Appropriations Subcommittee received the
Department’s request to fund the site security study
on March 31, 2000.
“On chemical safety, this looks like a know-nothing,
do-nothing Congress – no right-to-know and no action
to reduce hazards,” Orum said.
- End -
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Working Group on Community Right-to-Know
218 D Street, SE; Washington, DC 20003
Phone: 202-544-9586; Fax: 202-546-2461
See Chemical Accident Preparedness Maps.
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