[PUBCIT_PRESS] Homeland, Washington DC are unsecured

Public Citizen Press Releases
Providing the latest information about Public Citizen activities
-------------------------------------------

Oct. 25, 2004

Bush Administration Failures Leave Chemical and Nuclear Plants, HazMat,
Ports and Water Systems Vulnerable to Terrorists

Public Citizen President Joan Claybrook Tells D.C. Councilmembers How
Washington, D.C., and Homeland Are Unsecured

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Bush administration has consistently ignored or
opposed commonsense measures to protect Americans from potentially
catastrophic terrorist attacks - an inaction that reflects the Bush
administration's aversion to regulating private industry and its
allegiance to key campaign contributors, Public Citizen President Joan
Claybrook told members of the D.C. Council's Judiciary Committee today.

The administration's failures are particularly dangerous for residents
of the Washington, D.C., area, Claybrook said, because 8,500 rail cars
carrying hazardous and potentially toxic materials travel through D.C.
every year. Ninety-ton rail cars that regularly pass within four blocks
of the U.S. Capitol contain enough chlorine to injure or kill 100,000
people within 30 minutes and could endanger 2.4 million people.

Washington, D.C., is within 60 miles of two nuclear power plants: North
Anna in Virginia and Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, Claybrook told the
committee. Each of these nuclear plants represents a potential
radioactive "dirty bomb" that could explode with devastating effects.
Further, trucks travel every day on the Beltway carrying hazardous
materials. Transport vehicles are tempting targets for terrorists
because the opportunities for harm are great and the targets are
difficult to protect.

"Are Americans safer today as a result of this administration's efforts
to fortify our key infrastructure against attacks?" Claybrook asked.
"The answer is a resounding no. The White House says Americans are
safer, but the rhetoric does not match the reality on the ground."

Claybrook detailed the findings of a recent Public Citizen report,
Homeland Unsecured: The Bush Administration's Hostility to Regulation
and Ties to Industry Leave America Vulnerable, available on the Web at
www.HomelandUnsecured.org. The report describes how the Bush
administration has failed to harden our defenses against terrorism and
secure the most vulnerable, high-impact targets. The report is based on
an analysis of five key areas - chemical plants, nuclear plants,
hazardous material transport, ports and water systems. Among the
findings:

Chemical plants
A strike at one or more of the 15,000 chemical plants across the United
States could cause thousands, even millions, of injuries and deaths. But
the Bush administration and the chemical industry have blocked
legislation that would require chemical plants to shift to safer
chemicals and technologies, and blocked Environmental Protection Agency
efforts to compel security improvements via the Clean Air Act.

Nuclear plants
Twenty-seven state attorneys generals warned Congress in October 2002
that the consequences of a catastrophic attack against one of the
country's 103 nuclear power plants "are simply incalculable." The plants
were not designed to withstand the impact of aircraft crashes or
explosive forces, and the government does not require nuclear plants to
be secure from an aircraft attack. But the Bush administration and the
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) have resisted congressional
efforts for additional security regulation. In fact, the NRC proposed
weakening fire safety regulations, which would make it harder for a
reactor to be safely shut down in the event of a terrorist attack.

Hazardous materials transport
The trains and trucks that carry tens of millions of tons of toxic
chemicals and other hazardous materials annually on our railroads and
highways make tempting terrorist targets. More than half of the nation's
60,000 rail tank cars carrying hazardous materials are too old to meet
current industry standards and thus are more likely than newer cars to
break open after derailing. There are insufficient checks on where
trucks carrying hazardous materials may drive; insufficient oversight
and tracking of the types, amounts and locations of trucks moving these
lethal loads; and insufficient controls on the issuance of commercial
licenses for drivers of trucks carrying hazardous materials. Legislation
to assess rail security has been blocked by members of the president's
party, and other safety proposals have been dropped because of industry
opposition.

Port security
Every year, 8,100 foreign cargo ships make 50,000 visits to the United
States. International sea transport is an attractive terrorist target
because there are millions of shipping containers, hundreds of ports and
dozens of methods to damage infrastructure, disrupt the world economy,
undermine our military readiness and harm Americans. Just 4 to 6
percent of shipping containers are inspected today. Inspectors are not
adequately trained. And innovative pilot security programs have not been
implemented.

Drinking water systems
The water distribution network-the pumping stations, storage tanks and
pipes that might cover thousands of miles within a metropolitan
area-provides countless opportunities to introduce biological, chemical
or radiological contaminants. But there is no funding mechanism for the
federal government to provide direct grants to cities to upgrade water
security, and the private water utility industry's campaign to take over
public water systems is getting a push from the Bush administration.

The report suggests that these security failures have occurred in part
because industries representing the five homeland security areas
examined in this study collectively have raised at least $19.9 million
for the Bush campaigns, the Republican National Committee or the Bush
inauguration since the 2000 cycle; provided 10 Rangers and 20 Pioneers -
individuals who raise at least $200,000 and $100,000, respectively - to
the Bush presidential campaigns; and spent at least $201 million
lobbying the White House, executive branch agencies and Congress from
2002 through June 2004.

###

-------------------------------------------
Please visit our website at www.citizen.org