Dept. of Homeland Security Relaxes Chemical Plant Storage Rules: Chemical industry lobbyists pleased

One more of those hypocritical Signs of the Times! They suspect an INDIVIDUAL of terror, tsk! tsk! Lock them up! Throw away the key! While those who can be used BY terrorists but are corporate, get free government handouts .. Source: Washington Post By Spencer S. Hsu Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, November 3, 2007; Page A02 The Department of Homeland Security yesterday eased rules requiring tens of thousands of U.S. chemical plants to protect their stockpiles from terrorists, pleasing chemical industry lobbyists but disappointing environmentalists and some Democratic lawmakers, who said they will beef up requirements next year. The regulations will touch a wide range of U.S. industry, including pulp and paper mills, petroleum plants, food and agriculture facilities, and manufacturing and industrial cleaning sites. The measure has been delayed for years by disagreements within the Bush administration over the need for new regulations after the 2001 terrorist attacks. Partisan battling is likely to intensify in the Democratic Congress because the chemical security legislation expires in September 2009. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff described the rules as "a critical piece" of federal efforts to diminish the threat posed by large private stockpiles of dangerous chemicals. DHS in April proposed a list of 344 chemicals that businesses would have to track and disclose to the department through an online reporting system. But under heavy criticism from industry, it released a less stringent version yesterday, reducing the number of targeted chemicals to about 300 and raising the reporting threshold of many chemicals of highest security concern.... Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/20...