DEMOCRATS OPPOSE DHS PLAN TO PREEMPT STATE CHEMICAL SECURITY RULES

Democratic lawmakers are drafting legislation to block language in pending Department of Homeland Security (DHS) chemical security regulations that would preempt states from setting more stringent standards than the federal plan. The legislative effort comes as activists complain that DHS' preemption language is based on weak legal arguments. DHS in a Dec. 28 Federal Register advanced notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM) set out its plans to develop interim regulations that would cover high-risk chemical facilities, after lawmakers last year failed...