NAM Urges Congress to Reauthorize CFATS Program
NAM members operate 2,152 CFATS-regulated facilities in a range of major industrial sectors, from oil and gas to chemicals, mining, agriculture, and electricity. The association says "ensuring regulatory certainty is key."
Saying there were 10 days to go before the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program sunsets, the National Association of Manufacturers posted an article Jan. 8 calling on Congress to expeditiously reauthorize the program. CFATS helps mitigate, prevent, and protect against terrorist acts at manufacturing facilities across the country, and NAM members operate 2,152 CFATS-regulated facilities in a range of major industrial sectors, from oil and gas to chemicals, mining, agriculture, and electricity. The association's article said "ensuring regulatory certainty is key."
The 115th Congress produced proposals in both chambers during 2018 that NAM supported, but they did not become law. The new 116th Congress "convened with a renewed sense of urgency to reauthorize this vital program and manufacturers welcome lawmakers advancing legislation this early in the session," the association noted, reporting that the U.S. House of Representatives approved H.R. 251, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program Extension Act, on Jan. 8. That bill would reauthorize the CFATS program for two years.
NAM argues that continuing the CFATS program without interruption is critical for industry and for national security.