U.S. government warns 7,000 businesses to safeguard chemicals

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government will tell 7,000 businesses next week that they are considered high risk-terrorist targets because they house large amounts of chemicals.

The sites - which range from major chemical plants to universities, food processing centers and hospitals - will need to complete a vulnerability assessment so the government can decide how to regulate their security measures in the future.

U.S. intelligence officials say terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, favor chemical attack methods because of the severe consequences they can inflict.

"I'm trying to complicate these guys' lives," said Bob Stephan, assistant secretary of infrastructure protection at the Homeland Security Department.

Imposing varying security measures at sites across the U.S. not only secures the materials inside the sites, but also it creates a more difficult operation for the terrorists, he indicated.

"This is never going to be an impregnable target set, but I want to introduce enough complexity into the mix that al-Qaida's going to go somewhere else," Stephan told reporters Friday.

Earlier this year, 32,000 businesses with large amounts of chemicals had to complete an online survey that the Homeland Security Department used to determine which facilities' security measures should be regulated. The list was pared down to 7,000. These businesses will go through another vulnerability assessment, and the department will place them into four categories, based on the risk they face.