Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 - (Page 39) Regulatory Update Security We are very cognizant that much work has been done by small and rural utilities to embrace a more secure environment since Sept. 11, 2001, but a tremendous amount of activity is going on within the federal government that remains unknown to most small and rural utilities. Although the maze of activity surrounding security may seem overwhelming, it is important to remember that we have two federal agencies (the Department of Homeland Security and the Environmental Protection Agency) moving forward with security programs. This dual process tends to get complicated and confusing! Chemical Security – A bill – the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Act – has been adopted by the House Committee on Homeland Security that regulates water and wastewater system security. The primary concern is the threshold for gaseous chlorine, which is set at 500 pounds. That is, the bill requires utilities that store more than 500 pounds of chlorine to submit information to the DHS that it will use to rank systems based on risk and the quantity of chemicals stored. Four separate tiers have been identified for utilities to be placed into, or they may be considered not at risk and dropped from the list. The top tier is the most burdensome, while the last tier is the least. However, if the utility is identified for inclusion in any of the tiers, then it must submit its vulnerability assessment to the DHS. It is not clear if the vulnerability assessments completed under the 2002 Bioterrorism Act will suffice for these purposes. However, it seems as though if a VA is deemed to be RAMCAP compliant, then it may be sufficient. (See discussion on RAMCAP on page 40 for more information.) There are other concerns with the bill, such as giving the DHS the authority to force a utility to stop using gaseous chlorine, but DHS must provide funding for the conversion. Many changes to the bill are expected before it is voted on; however, it is becoming increasingly clear that >>40 ©www.istockphoto.com Second Quarter 2008 • 39 Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 Contents From The President Western Water Wars Are You in a Drought, and what can You do about it? High Costs On The Horizon? Water Reuse - Florida's Future Funding Rural America's Water And Wastewater Needs Relations and Technical Issues Top EPA Summit Agenda New Medicine Disposal Partnership Regulatory Update 2008 Rural Water Rally Coverage Throwing My Loop Index to Advertisers Advertisers.com From The CEO Rural Water - Quarter 2, 2008 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0412 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0312 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0212 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0112 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0411 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0311 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0211 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0111 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0410 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0310 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0210 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0110 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0409 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0309 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0209 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0109 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0408 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0308 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0208 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/NRWQ0108 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com