ISCD Sneaks in the CFATS Update

Sometime in the last week or so the folks at DHS Infrastructure Security Compliance Division provided their monthly update of their Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards stats on the progress being made in approving site security plans. The “Critical Infrastructure: Chemical Security” still shows the link going to the July update for the month of June, but if you click on the link it actually takes you to the August 1^st update for July. Well maybe there are finally doing like I did a couple months back and naming the Update for the month the data pertains to not the publishing month.

In any case the authorization and approval of site security plans proceeds at a relatively steady pace. There continue to be variations in the average daily rate of approvals, but that is to be expected because each of the facilities is truly a unique entity and will require a different security plan that will have to be considered on its own merits.

The total number of covered facilities dropped below 4,000 for the first time. Again, it would be helpful if DHS would periodically provide a report on the reasons for facilities leaving the CFATS program. The three categories for removal (I would guess) would be plant closing, reduction in inventory below Screening Quantity Thresholds, or removal of DHS chemicals of interest from inventory.

There is no information in the update about compliance inspections. There should be a large enough number of those that have been conducted now that the numbers might be of interest to the regulated and concerned communities.