CFATS Agriculture Surveys Due Sept. 20
DHS seeks the information from 1,274 "high-risk" facilities that may sell, transfer, or commercially apply products, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that contain chemicals on the agency's list.
The Department of Homeland Security's Infrastructure Security Compliance Division (ISCD) announced it will offer two webinars before Labor Day to help the 1,274 facilities that are required to submit an Agriculture Survey by Sept. 20. These "high-risk" facilities will be contacted directly with webinar registration information, according to ISCD, which is part of the DHS Office of Infrastructure Protection. ISCD leads national implementation of the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS).
The CSAT Portal (https://csat.dhs.gov/csat) allows facilities to access the survey.
DHS indefinitely extended the Top Screen submission due date for agricultural production facilities in December 2007. It wants to find out via the survey about "potential risks, vulnerabilities and consequences related to facilities throughout the agricultural COI distribution chain -– including manufacturers, distributors and retailers, commercial applicators and end users" so it can decide how to proceed with the extension.
The agency says the facilities answering the survey may sell, transfer, or commercially apply products, such as pesticides and fertilizers, that contain chemicals on the agency's chemicals of interest list; the products would be used by farms, ranches, dairies, equine facilities, parks, and similar end users.
DHS is concerned with potential releases, theft, diversion, or sabotage involving chemicals on the COI list, which it published in November 2007.