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Chemical Threats, Chemical Security

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Dr. David Mussington, Executive Assistant Director, Infrastructure Security Division

Related topics:
Physical Security, Risk Management, Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience

Every day, thousands of facilities across our nation—from small businesses to large international companies—use, manufacture, store, and distribute chemicals in complex, global supply chains that touch nearly every aspect of American life—from microchips to food processing. Many of these chemicals that businesses interact with every day are dangerous chemicals that could be weaponized by those who want to do us harm.

To enhance chemical security and reduce the risk that these dangerous chemicals fall into the wrong hands, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) works with the Chemical Sector, industries across other critical infrastructure sectors, and individual facilities that use dangerous chemicals through the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) regulatory program—which requires high-risk facilities to implement security measures that meet risk-based performance standards. CISA also recently launched ChemLock, a voluntary program that provides facilities that possess dangerous chemicals free services and tools to help them better understand the risks they face and improve their chemical security posture in a way that works for their business model.

To provide a platform to work through the tough security challenges facing the chemical sector and best practices, CISA is hosting the virtual 2021 Chemical Security Seminars on three consecutive Wednesdays: December 1, 8, and 15, 2021.

I am proud to be speaking at these events, which will feature chemical security updates and case studies requested by industry for facility owners and operators, industry organizations, government officials, first responders, and law enforcement. Themes for the seminars include:

  • Wednesday, December 1 – Chemical Threats and Countermeasures
  • Wednesday, December 8 – Cyber Threats and Emerging Trends
  • Wednesday, December 15 – Chemical Security Planning and Preparedness

Register today and join us for 2021 Chemical Security Seminars. To see the full agenda, please visit the Chemical Security Seminars webpage. I look forward to seeing you there.

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