The vulnerability of U.S. chemical plants to terrorism and serious attacks has been widely reported since before the Sept. 11 attacks. Unfortunately, since 9/11 Congress has only managed to enact a temporary program to make these areas safer and it will soon expire.

The current program is extremely ineffective, exempting thousands of chemical plants from safety regulations and barring the government from requiring the chemical plants to use security measures that would safeguard communities now at risk.

Later this month, the House Energy and Commerce Committee will take the next step toward enacting a comprehensive program that will reduce the risks associated with chemical plants, thereby protecting people in surrounding areas.

The magnitude of risks posed by one chemical plant far surpasses the damage of the 9/11 attacks. It is not uncommon for a chemical plant to possess large quantities of chlorine, benzene or chloroform. All these chemicals are extremely harmful if released into the air.

The United States contains 300 hazardous chemical plants that put more than 100 million Americans in areas of high risk, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Fifty-six chemical plants in Georgia put 10,000 people at risk, each. These facilities were not designed to withstand a terrorist attack.

In June 2007, DuPont Chairman Charles Holliday Jr. conceded, “I feel very comfortable that we’ve taken all the reasonable steps, but if someone wants to fly an airplane into a plant, it’s very hard to guard against it.”

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory estimated that 100,000 people could be killed or injured in the first 30 minutes of such an attack.

Before the Sept. 11 attacks, ringleader Mohamed Atta visited Tennessee, asking lots of questions about a nearby chemical plant. In 2007, at least five successful terrorist attacks in Iraq used relatively small cylinders of chlorine gas to kill dozens of people.

Also in 2007, thefts of 150-pound cylinders of chlorine gas occurred in California and Texas, prompting the Department of Homeland Security to alert local bomb squads and chemical plants across the U.S.

The good news is that at least 220 chemical facilities have voluntarily converted to safer chemical processes since 2001 that eliminated risks to millions of people.

The legislation that Congress will soon vote on could eliminate these risks to millions more Americans. By requiring the highest-risk plants to use already feasible, cost-effective processes to secure their hazardous chemicals, these plants can be rendered harmless, thereby providing protection to the surrounding communities. Although chemical companies are fielding an army of lobbyists to oppose this legislation, the largest shippers of these poison gases have a different point of view.

In 2008 the Association of American Railroads issued a statement saying, “It’s time for the big chemical companies to do their part to help protect America. They should stop manufacturing dangerous chemicals when safer substitutes are available. And if they won’t do it, Congress should do it for them.”

Hopefully, congressional members from Georgia will agree and join their colleagues in sending strong legislation to the White House soon.

Molly McLaughlin is a chemical engineering student at Georgia Tech. Sierra Barnes is Georgia field organizer for Greenpeace.