Across the United States, thousands of chemical plants, manufacturers, water utilities and other facilities store and use extremely hazardous substances that could injure or kill workers and residents of nearby communities. Here in New Jersey, there are 51 facilities that stand as prime examples of the type of facility in question.
Safer technologies already exist. For example, the Middlesex County Utility Authority in Sayerville, changed the chemicals in its wastewater treatment process to protect against unnecessary threats, and New Jersey has taken many other strong steps for chemical security in-state.
Yet more than six years after the September 11 attacks, the federal government has yet to take meaningful action to reduce the risk to American workers and communities from a catastrophic accident or attack at one of these facilities.
That could change, though, if Congress takes action on new legislation. In February, the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act of 2008 was introduced in the House. The bill contains language calling for the use of safer chemicals and processes, or reduction of the amounts of high-hazard chemicals stored on site.
NJPIRG and our national federation, U.S. PIRG, are working with our environmental and labor coalition partners to convince key committee members to further strengthen the bill to truly protect New Jerseyans.
