Susan Collins

I find that troubling as investments in transportation infrastructure are strongly needed in all States and a sure way to create good-paying jobs.

Last year, to address this need for better data, I and Senator Carper introduced the Comprehensive National Mercury Monitoring Act to ensure that we have the information we need to make decisions necessary to protect our people and…

I have long believed that we, as a Nation, are not paying sufficient attention to the dangers posed by mercury to our children and, in general, to all of our citizens.

I want to thank our witnesses today for helping us understand this complex issue.

From talking to many experts in this field, it seems that there is a great deal of dispute...

Congress can best assure the CFATS program's success and forward momentum by passing S. 2996, the Continuing Chemical Facilities Antiterrorism Security Act of 2010.

It was very disappointing, and it also does nothing to advance what is an important debate and legitimate disagreements over IST and other issues which reasonable people could certainly disagree on.

Given the hazardous chemicals present at many locations, terrorists could view them as attractive targets.

In 2005, as Chairman of this Committee, I held a series of hearings on chemical security.

Do you not see a concern with shifting the risk?

I was making very clear that it was Congress' prerogative to reauthorize the law.

The Administration has done a good job, has been open to suggestions and comments and ideas from the regulated sector.

Your first priority is to prevent the law from expiring?

Mr. Poorman, when people think of the chemical industry, they tend to think of Dow Chemical.

But I want to start my questioning of this panel by noting an issue that is not legitimate, and that is, when the Blue-Green Coalition in its letter to this Committee completely misrepresents comments that I previously made in 2007.

It is absolutely critical that this legislation be reauthorized in its current form as a minimal statement of maintaining the progress that I think we have made.

Personally, I join with the Administration in thinking that exemption leaves a troublesome security gap.

Is an effective program for addressing the security risks associated with the Nation's high-risk chemical facilities and is helping to make our country more secure.

There now seems to be general agreement that CFATS is making a positive contribution to our national and homeland security and should be continued.

The notion here being that there is a range of activity that might allow these vulnerable facilities to reduce the risk both to themselves and to the surrounding communities.

Well, I guess the point that I would make is the Department has done a first-rate job of implementing this law. It has made a difference by your own assessment.

I believe the Department has developed an effective approach for both identifying high-risk chemical facilities and assessing the security risks associated with them.

Mr. Chairman, no one is more conscious than I of the risks that our Nation faces through an attack on a chemical facility.

I was pleased to cosponsor that legislation, and while it did not itself become law, it certainly helped prompt Congress.

In my State of Maine, we have a 60-day permitting period for new technology research, development, and demonstration projects.