A $595 million terror prevention program aimed at shoring up the nation’s high-risk chemical facilities is riddled with problems, an investigation by the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee found.
According to the Associated Press, which obtained an advance copy of the study, a series of government errors, delays, and loopholes have left key chemical facilities "effectively unregulated."
The report said that as of June 30, DHS had failed to conduct security compliance inspections on 3,972 chemical facilities, or 99 percent of the 4,011 facilities initially considered at a higher risk for terrorism. Many facilities are chemical manufacturers; they also include farm supply retailers or fertilizer distribution warehouses.
DHS considers a chemical facility "higher risk" based on the amount of toxic or flammable chemicals on site, such as chlorine, a corrosive, or ammonium nitrate, which can be used to make explosives.
As a result, investigators have suggested that major metropolitan centers such as New York City may be more vulnerable to chemical attack, noting that last year's West, Texas plant explosion would "pale in comparison with the consequences of releasing large quantities of toxic gas into a densely-populated city."