Emercency Services CFATS Letter to Members of Congress

Emercency Services CFATS Letter to Members of Congress

October 3, 2023

As the Chairs of the Chemical Sector Coordinating Council and the Emergency Services Sector Coordinating Council, and as Executive Director and CEO of the National Sheriffs’ Association, we write you today on behalf of our critical infrastructure sectors to express our overwhelming support for the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program following its expiration on July 27, 2023. For nearly two decades, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has worked with large and small companies to develop a program recognized as the global standard for chemical security.

As you are aware, the CFATS program’s primary mission is to help to reduce the risk of a terrorist attack on the highest-risk facilities by addressing a wide range of potential terrorist threats, including both physical and cyberattacks. By identifying and working with these high-risk facilities, the CFATS program ensures security measures are in place to reduce the risk of more than 300 chemicals of interest (COI) being weaponized. High-risk facilities are assigned to one of four risk-based tiers and must develop a security plan meeting the 18 risk-based performance standards (RBPS) criteria.