GAO urges voluntary security measures after US chemical plant program lapses

Chemistry World reports that the GAO wants CISA to pursue voluntary personnel vetting after the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program expired in July 2023. The program covered about 3,200 high-risk chemical plants. CISA says it can no longer vet roughly 9,000 people a month who access materials at those facilities. The Department of Homeland Security disagrees with the GAO’s recommendation, while efforts to reauthorize the program have failed.