Despite rapid-fire gains against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda fighters, U.S. Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge has expressed several times recently that "the risk of another terror attack on U.S. soil was high" and urged the police and the public to ``be more vigilant.'' According to Ridge at a press conference on December 5, 2001, ''Any time you make progress on one front, you have to be prepared for that enemy to use some of its resources and its assets elsewhere. We have to prepare for the potential use of those assets,'' Ridge told Reuters. 

This atmosphere means that the chances are high that legislation such as this proposed Act will be promulgated at break-neck speed.  With good intentions, there is a significant potential for possible overreaction and for the extension of these vast increases in government authority in the area of process safety. 

Go to the next section of this Feature:  Part 4: Trade Association Statements

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