Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) President & CEO Daren Coppock released the following statement in support of legislation introduced by Senate Homeland Security & Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Gary Peters, D-Mich., to reauthorize the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS):
“ARA strongly supports Senator Peters’ legislation to reauthorize the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program for an additional 5 years.
“If Congress does not act by the end of July 2023, this program will expire and create regulatory uncertainty for agricultural retailers, manufacturers, and others regulated by this important DHS security program.
“The CFATS program, which was first authorized in 2007, is a coordinated effort between industry and DHS to protect high-risk chemical facilities from the threat of terrorists and other criminal acts.
“A long-term reauthorization provides our industry with the certainty it needs to make the necessary facility investments to mitigate security threats.”
