Kerry Faults Chemical Plant Security

Sen. John F. Kerry on Thursday called for tougher security requirements at the nation’s chemical factories, suggesting that the Bush administration had bowed to pressure from contributors in the chemical industry who oppose more stringent standards.

In an address to the National Conference of Black Mayors, the presumed Democratic presidential nominee pointed to recent news reports that many facilities manufacturing toxic chemicals near large population centers remained alarmingly accessible.

“What are we waiting for?” Kerry asked.

Taking a shot at President Bush’s chief justification for overthrowing former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Kerry added: “Instead of misleading us about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, [the administration] ought to lead this nation to take every step to prevent one of our own chemical plants from being turned into a weapon of mass destruction against our own people.”

Also Thursday, Kerry’s campaign announced it has raised $80 million this year, a goal the candidate had hoped to reach by July. The campaign’s new goal, aides said, was to reach the $100 million by the party’s national convention in late July.

“We will not lose this election because we don’t have the money,” Philadelphia Mayor John Street assured cheering donors gathered Thursday afternoon in an ornate reception room in City Hall, where Kerry raised an estimated $200,000.

In his speech to the mayors, Kerry called for federal laws requiring chemical companies to have strong security forces, protected perimeters and modernized surveillance.

“I think this administration unfortunately has been unwilling to take those steps because they have sided with the chemical industry that pushes back” against such legislation, he said.

Kerry then implied that the administration was influenced by political contributions from those associated with the chemical industry.

“We don’t care who they’re writing campaign checks to,” he said. “It’s time to make America stronger.”

The Bush campaign, in raising more than $180 million for his reelection bid, has received extensive support from many business sectors.

The Kerry campaign, citing research by WhiteHouseForSale.org, said five top chemical industry executives each had helped raise $100,000 or more for Bush this year. WhiteHouseForSale.org is a project of Public Citizen, a citizens’ advocacy group founded by Ralph Nader.

Citing a study by the political watchdog group Common Cause, the Kerry campaign also said the chemical industry donated nearly $6.5 million to Republican campaign committees between 2000-2002.

The Bush reelection campaign rejected Kerry’s charge that donations had affected the president’s policy decisions and argued that the administration was taking nearly all the steps that he demanded. In a memo to reporters, the campaign said that in February 2003, Bush called for the Department of Homeland Security to reduce security vulnerabilities at chemical facilities.

“John Kerry has played politics with homeland security throughout this campaign, and today he is doing it again,” said spokesman Steve Schmidt. “His speech today is not a credible alternative, but a retread of policies that the president has already advocated.”

But several bills that would have imposed tougher security measures at chemical plants stalled in Congress, and environmental advocates fretted that voluntary guidelines were not sufficient to prevent an attack.

The White House has “not given this issue a very high priority at all,” said Linda Greer of the National Resources Defense Council, an environmental group.

Voluntary measures promoted by the chemical industry, like higher fences, “didn’t go to the heart of the way these facilities could be attacked,” she said.

The American Chemical Council, a trade organization representing many of the country’s chemical facilities, disputed her assertion, noting that its 2,000 members had been required to conduct vulnerability assessments. In 2003, the industry spent $800 million to upgrade the security of the highest-risk sites, said council spokeswoman Kate McGloon.

“We absolutely think there should be federal security legislation,” McGloon said. “But we didn’t wait for politics and government to act.”

Kerry called for the administration to back legislation authored by Sen. Jon Corzine (D-N.J.) that would give the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Homeland Security authority to regulate the security standards at chemical plants.

The Bush campaign called the measure “irresponsible,” saying the EPA lacks the security expertise to protect such facilities. Schmidt said the president favored a measure co-authored by Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.)and Sen. Zell Miller (D-Ga.) that would require chemical companies to conduct vulnerability assessments and prepare security plans.

In his speech, Kerry promised the assembled mayors that he would provide their cities with more federal funds to beef up police and fire departments, and called for more coordination between the FBI and local law enforcement.

“It’s also time for the FBI to get you the information you need on the ground, in time, and before a potential problem actually develops into a crisis,” he said.