Lawmakers to weigh chemical security measures
In addition, House panel will take another look at how the Homeland Security Department is distributing anti-terrorism grants.
House and Senate lawmakers this week will consider stricter laws for chemical security. The move comes less than two weeks after Canadian authorities arrested 17 terrorist suspects who had amassed three tons of ammonium nitrate, a larger amount than was used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing which killed 168 people.
The Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee will mark up its chemical security bill Wednesday. The bill would give the Homeland Security Department the authority to establish regulations for the nation's chemical facilities.
The department does not have that authority, and the chemical industry has been voluntarily acting on security measures. Some environmental groups and unions, however, say the bill does not go far enough.
A coalition led by Greenpeace gave Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff and members of the committee boxes containing sneakers last week to illustrate the lack of security for people living near chemical facilities.
"Four and a half years after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, Americans would be surprised to learn that their best form of protection may be their sneakers," Greenpeace said in a statement.
The House Homeland Security Committee will also mark up a chemical security bill Wednesday. The bill, by Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa., would authorize the department to regulate production, storage, sale and distribution of ammonium nitrate.
Lawmakers also will continue to probe the department's allocation of urban area anti-terrorism grants.
The House Government Reform Committee has called Homeland Security Undersecretary for Preparedness George Foresman to testify Thursday about overall grant funding, specifically money allocated for the National Capitol Region.