NCJ Number
189549
Date Published
April 2000
Length
49 pages
Annotation
The document discusses the vulnerability of the United States to terrorist attacks, particularly with chemical weapons.
Abstract
The Chemical Safety Information, Site Security, and Fuels Regulatory Relief Act requires public access to information describing the worst possible impact that a release of toxic or flammable chemicals from a facility could have on the nearby populace and environment. This data is called off-site consequence analysis (OCA) information and is contained in documents known as Risk Management Plans (RMPs). The statute requires that the regulations be based on an assessment of whether release of OCA information over the Internet would increase the risk of terrorism or other criminal acts directed at the chemical facilities submitting such data. It also requires an assessment of whether such release of OCA information would reduce the risk of accidental releases of chemicals from the facilities. Based upon the analysis of trends in international and domestic terrorism and upon the interest in weapons of mass destruction (WMD) among criminals and other terrorists, it is concluded that the risk of terrorists attempting in the foreseeable future to cause an industrial chemical release is both real and credible. OCA data would create an increased risk because it would provide “one-stop shopping” for refined targeting information, allowing terrorists to select the best targets from among the 15,000 chemical facilities that have submitted OCA data. Among the methods of providing access to OCA data, Internet access poses the greatest risk. Providing OCA data in a manner that does not permit the users to obtain it anonymously would reduce the risk that individuals would be interested in obtaining it for illicit purposes. However, the Internet is incompatible with monitored dissemination. The dissemination of OCA information in a manner that would permit it to be easily converted into an electronic format for posting on the Internet would raise similar concerns. 33 footnotes