The House Subcommittee on cybersecurity, infrastructure protection, and security technologies approved a seven-year extension of the rules overseeing chemical production facility security. The measure now moves to the full Homeland Security Committee.
The bill, H.R. 901, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Security Authorization Act of 2011, was introduced by Subcommittee Chairman Dan Lungren (R-CA), and co-sponsored by full Committee Chairman Peter King (R-NY) and seven other committee members. The measure would extend for seven years the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) authority to regulate the security of high-risk chemical facilities under the authority granted in Sec. 550 of the Homeland Security Appropriations Act of 2007.