RE: Please pass legislation NOW to protect Americans from chemical disasters!

Dear Senator ,

I urge you to support S. 157 and S. 1256, legislation that reduces the risk of a potentially devastating chemical release caused by natural disasters, accidents, or terrorist attacks.

Hurricane Katrina has caused massive devastation in the Gulf states. But another danger to the region is still brewing. With storm surges of up to 20 feet in some areas, huge petrochemical plants, waste pits and other chemical facilities have unleashed a toxic cocktail of chemicals ranging from vinyl chloride to gasoline. No one could stop Katrina, but chemical plants like those found in the lower Mississippi corridor and around the nation can be converted to safer technologies. It's time to make the switch.

The Homeland Security Council recently estimated that if terrorists struck a rail car full of chemicals in Washington, D.C. that there could be 127,500 victims, including 17,500 fatalities. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory agrees, estimating that 100,000 people could be killed or injured in the first 30 minutes following an attack with as many as 100 people dying per second.

Each year at least 1,000 spills, explosions, or fires involving hazardous chemicals cause deaths, injuries or evacuations. Despite the risk of accidents or terrorist attacks, many facilities continue to use dangerous chemicals when safer alternatives are available. According to the EPA, 15,000 industrial facilities have enough hazardous materials on site to harm millions of nearby residents if attacked.

Almost four years after 9/11 the federal government has failed to take action on this threat. It is unacceptable to allow our communities to go unprotected any longer. S. 157, the Chemical Security Act, has been introduced every year since October 2001 to reduce the risk of disaster at chemical facilities by encouraging companies to look for and adopt safer processes. The bill would also substitute safer alternatives for hazardous materials, and would reduce the volume of harmful chemicals stored at facilities. However, the oil and chemical industry is lobbying hard to ensure that this bill is killed or riddled with loopholes, and has so far succeeded in preventing its passage.

S. 1256, the Hazardous Materials Vulnerability Reduction Act of 2005, would prohibit trains carrying large quantities of ultra-hazardous chemicals through high threat, densely populated areas. Rerouting these trains is an essential first step with conversion of dangerous chemical plants as the long-term solution to protecting our communities.

No further delays in protecting the security of the American people and our environment from chemical disaster are acceptable. Please take immediate action to make American communities safer by supporting S. 157 and S. 1256 and by doing whatever it takes to ensure their prompt passage.

Most Sincerely,

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