Endorsers of the Safe Hometowns Initiative

We share an urgent concern regarding the threat to public safety posed by the use and storage of hazardous chemicals in thousands of American communities. At least 3,000 facilities in the U.S. put 10,000 or more Americans at risk of injury or death in the event of a catastrophic chemical release. The tragic attacks of September 11th make plain that communities are threatened not only by thousands of chemical accidents every year, but also by the chance a terrorist could deliberately trigger a catastrophic release.

We urge government and industry to act swiftly to protect American communities from the risk of a catastrophic chemical release, whether accidental or an act of terrorism. Should the tactics used by terrorists to date be turned toward industrial chemical facilities, neither increased site security nor add-on safety measures could truly protect the public. Therefore, protecting our communities means reducing or eliminating wherever feasible the possibility of a catastrophic chemical release. For many hazardous chemicals and processes, safer alternatives exist it would be negligent for policymakers or owners of industrial facilities to allow communities to remain at risk.

We urge federal, state, and local policy-makers to put prevention first. This means requiring facilities that use extremely hazardous chemicals to consider, and choose where available, inherently safer technologies, meaning those that modify production processes or products to use safer or fewer chemicals, reduced chemical quantities, or processes involving safer pressures, temperatures, or other conditions (without transferring risks between workers and communities). In conjunction with inherently safer technologies, facilities should use accident mitigation and response systems, improved emergency response plans, buffer zones, and increased security to protect against remaining hazards. In addition, public information resources that enable the public to understand hazards and participate in safety decisions should be maintained and expanded.