Chemical Sector Security Summit Highlights Progress on Voluntary Programs, Regulations

  • Aug 30, 2011

More than 500 partners from around the country gathered in Baltimore on July 6-7 to attend the 2011 Chemical Sector Security Summit.

The summit is an annual forum for information sharing that highlights the collaboration between public and private sectors and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to ensure a safer and more resilient industrial homeland.

DHS Deputy Secretary Jane Holl Lute presented the keynote address, thanking the Chemical Sector Coordinating Council for co-sponsoring the Summit for the fifth year.

Lute commended the private sector for the high level of engagement on security issues. She added that these efforts, when coupled with the voluntary and regulatory programs, are a successful formula for strengthening the protection of the sector and its critical infrastructure.

Lute spoke of the progress made by DHS in the past 10 years and emphasized the mission of Homeland Security: "An effort to help build a safe, secure, resilient place where the American way of life can thrive."

Lute also stressed the need to continue to share information by saying, "Chemical Sector partners seek clarity, predictability, and a level playing field. You want to be engaged, you want to know more about threats -- so do we; you want to reduce your vulnerabilities -- so do we."

Lute also added that by working together we can better understand the risk landscape.

Assistant Secretary Todd Keil took the opportunity to reflect on the maturity of the Summit over the past five years.

Keil spoke of the steady growth of attendees and stated the Summit reflects a true partnership at work where public and private sector representatives share information and develop tools necessary for our industry partners to enhance their security posture.

He reiterated the department's commitment to implementing both voluntary programs and the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). As a demonstration of this commitment, Assistant Secretary Keil announced the new leadership team for the Infrastructure Security Compliance Division -- Director Penny Anderson and Deputy Director David Wulf.

The 2011 Chemical Sector Security Summit held a vast array of session topics including highlights of DHS Voluntary Programs and Resources, a CFATS and Ammonium Nitrate Update, Theft and Diversion, Securing the Global Supply Chain, Control Systems Security, PS-Prep, Suspicious Activity Reporting, and Personnel Surety, to name a few. In addition to the two day Summit, this year's event included two additional days of resource demonstrations and workshops.

Featured

  • Report: 47 Percent of Security Service Providers Are Not Yet Using AI or Automation Tools

    Trackforce, a provider of security workforce management platforms, today announced the launch of its 2025 Physical Security Operations Benchmark Report, an industry-first study that benchmarks both private security service providers and corporate security teams side by side. Based on a survey of over 300 security professionals across the globe, the report provides a comprehensive look at the state of physical security operations. Read Now

    • Guard Services

  • Identity Governance at the Crossroads of Complexity and Scale

    Modern enterprises are grappling with an increasing number of identities, both human and machine, across an ever-growing number of systems. They must also deal with increased operational demands, including faster onboarding, more scalable models, and tighter security enforcement. Navigating these ever-growing challenges with speed and accuracy requires a new approach to identity governance that is built for the future enterprise. Read Now

  • Eagle Eye Networks Launches AI Camera Gun Detection

    Eagle Eye Networks, a provider of cloud video surveillance, recently introduced Eagle Eye Gun Detection, a new layer of protection for schools and businesses that works with existing security cameras and infrastructure. Eagle Eye Networks is the first to build gun detection into its platform. Read Now

  • Report: AI is Supercharging Old-School Cybercriminal Tactics

    AI isn’t just transforming how we work. It’s reshaping how cybercriminals attack, with threat actors exploiting AI to mass produce malicious code loaders, steal browser credentials and accelerate cloud attacks, according to a new report from Elastic. Read Now

  • Pragmatism, Productivity, and the Push for Accountability in 2025-2026

    Every year, the security industry debates whether artificial intelligence is a disruption, an enabler, or a distraction. By 2025, that conversation matured, where AI became a working dimension in physical identity and access management (PIAM) programs. Observations from 2025 highlight this turning point in AI’s role in access control and define how security leaders are being distinguished based on how they apply it. Read Now

Most   Popular

New Products

  • A8V MIND

    A8V MIND

    Hexagon’s Geosystems presents a portable version of its Accur8vision detection system. A rugged all-in-one solution, the A8V MIND (Mobile Intrusion Detection) is designed to provide flexible protection of critical outdoor infrastructure and objects. Hexagon’s Accur8vision is a volumetric detection system that employs LiDAR technology to safeguard entire areas. Whenever it detects movement in a specified zone, it automatically differentiates a threat from a nonthreat, and immediately notifies security staff if necessary. Person detection is carried out within a radius of 80 meters from this device. Connected remotely via a portable computer device, it enables remote surveillance and does not depend on security staff patrolling the area.

  • EasyGate SPT and SPD

    EasyGate SPT SPD

    Security solutions do not have to be ordinary, let alone unattractive. Having renewed their best-selling speed gates, Cominfo has once again demonstrated their Art of Security philosophy in practice — and confirmed their position as an industry-leading manufacturers of premium speed gates and turnstiles.

  • Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.

    Connect ONE®

    Connect ONE’s powerful cloud-hosted management platform provides the means to tailor lockdowns and emergency mass notifications throughout a facility – while simultaneously alerting occupants to hazards or next steps, like evacuation.