Homeland Security Watch: Senator to file chemical-plant safety bill
Sen. Susan Collins, chairwoman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, will soon introduce chemical plant security legislation.
Her move comes after the legislation ran into resistance and she stalled on the measure late last week. A source briefed on the senator's plan says she has agreed to remove a controversial provision from the bill that would have allowed federal legislation to pre-empt any stricter legislation passed already by the states. The senator has also tightened loopholes that environmentalists thought offered too much latitude to industry pursuing their own voluntary security measures.
A provision that would have mandated chemical plants use "inherently safer technologies"–including safer chemicals and processes–will not be included in the final bill. A Senate source says members of the committee worked late into the night last Thursday coming up with language that could gain bipartisan support.
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, the ranking member on the committee, leaned on moderate Democrats to hold back on supporting Collins's measure so he could have room to negotiate more favorable conditions. Sources have confirmed that Lieberman will sign on to the bill.
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