ARLINGTON, VA – National Association of Chemical Distributors (NACD) President and CEO Eric R. Byer issued a statement on the importance of reauthorizing the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program before it expires on April 18, 2020.

In the statement, Byer wrote, “NACD is disappointed in Congress’s failure so far to reauthorize the CFATS program administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which is vital to ensuring the chemical industry and regulators work together to keep our nation’s chemical facilities secured against potential acts of terrorism.”

“Congress overwhelmingly approved the program’s continuation and funding in January 2019 for an additional 15 months to provide lawmakers further time to work on a long-term reauthorization. Unfortunately, certain lawmakers are acting as a roadblock to that reauthorization. To be clear, now is not the time for policymakers to play games with our nation’s chemical security.

“In the face of Congressional inaction, we are just weeks away from this indispensable program ceasing to exist and putting at risk the security of our nation’s chemical industry infrastructure. NACD therefore urges House and Senate leadership to work together to promptly draft a clean, bipartisan, multi-year extension of the CFATS program that will give both regulators and industry alike the certainty needed to safeguard chemical facilities from the threat of terrorism for the long term.

“NACD’s member companies are actively communicating with their elected officials to stress the importance of continuing this critical program, and we stand alongside them in our desire to see CFATS extended. We remain committed to working with Congress in the coming weeks to make sure that CFATS is reauthorized and, by extension, national security continues to be a top priority for both the federal government and the chemical distribution industry.”