Chemical Security is a program office within the Infrastructure Security Division of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) responsible for implementing the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS), the nation’s program to regulate security at high-risk chemical facilities, and a proposed Ammonium Nitrate Security Program.
In addition, the Chemical Security program office develops nonregulatory chemical security resources that all facilities with hazardous chemicals can implement regardless of regulatory status.
Chemical Security Mission
To further the Infrastructure Security Division's mission of enhancing security and resilience for the nation's critical infrastructure, the Chemical Security program office leads the nation's effort to secure America’s high-risk chemical facilities and prevent the use of certain chemicals in a terrorist act on the homeland through both the systematic regulation, inspection, and enforcement of chemical infrastructure security requirements, and by assisting and encouraging chemical facilities that do not fall under the CFATS program to enhance their chemical security posture.
Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS)
Initially authorized by Congress in 2007, the CFATS program identifies and regulates high-risk facilities to ensure security measures are in place to reduce the risk of certain hazardous chemicals being weaponized by terrorists. Facilities identified as high-risk must implement security measures that meet the risk-based performance standards. More than 150 CISA chemical security inspectors are located throughout the country to help ensure facilities have security measures in place to meet CFATS requirements.
On December 18, 2014, the Protecting and Securing Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014 (CFATS Act of 2014), was signed into law. This Act recodified and reauthorized the CFATS program for four years.
On January 18, 2019, President Trump signed into law the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards Program Extension Act to extend the CFATS program for 15 months.
On March 27, 2020, President Trump signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which included a provision to extend the CFATS program to July 23, 2020.
On July 22, 2020, President Trump signed into law Pub. L. No. 116-150 to extend the expiration date of the Protecting and Security Chemical Facilities from Terrorist Attacks Act of 2014, Pub. L. No. 113-254, to July 27, 2023.
Proposed Ammonium Nitrate Security Program
The Ammonium Nitrate Security Program (ANSP) is the proposed regulatory program developed by CISA in response to a directive from Congress to "regulate the sale and transfer of ammonium nitrate by an ammonium nitrate facility ... to prevent the misappropriation or use of ammonium nitrate in an act of terrorism."
On December 26, 2007, Section 563 of the 2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Subtitle J, Secure Handling of Ammonium Nitrate ("Section 563"), Public Law 110–161 was signed into law, which amended the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to include the Ammonium Nitrate Security Program.
Nonregulatory Chemical Security Resources
Through our engagement with high-risk facilities under the CFATS program for more than 10 years, CISA has built a wealth of knowledge, lessons learned, and expertise in chemical security.
In an effort to make this chemical security expertise available to chemical facilities that are not covered under CFATS, CISA is commencing an initiative that encourages, enables, and incentivizes all chemical security partners to enhance their security posture regardless of regulatory status.
While the project is still in development, the initial set of offerings is slated to include a series of best practice documents focused on chemical security. CISA anticipates releasing these documents beginning in fall 2020.
NOTE: These chemical security resources will complement the existing voluntary security activities within the Chemical Sector.
Contact
For questions about CISA's chemical security regulatory programs, the CFATS program and the Ammonium Nitrate Security Program, please email CFATS@hq.dhs.gov.
For questions related to the voluntary chemical security resources, please email Chemical.Security@cisa.dhs.gov.