Op-Ed: Now is not time to forsake New Jersey's chemical industry
Now is not time to forsake New Jersey's chemical industry
Published in the Bergen Record on Monday, March 5, 2007
By HAL BOZARTH
Recent events have brought attention to the use and production of certain chemicals in New Jersey, and their potential to cause harm to the public.
The industry is extremely concerned with the use of beneficial products as a weapon. But it has been concerned with the potential negative use of our products since even before Sept. 11, 2001.
Chemical companies have invested hundreds of millions of dollars to improve safety, to secure facilities, to minimize environmental impacts, to reduce all emissions and to become more energy efficient operations.
The events in Iraq have increased interest around facilities that use and manufacture chlorine. True to form, the attempted use of chlorine as a weapon follows a key part of the terrorist agenda where they manipulate beneficial and everyday products whose normal use makes our lives better, safer and healthier.
Chlorine chemistry is essential to everyday life in every corner of the globe. In New Jersey, products of chlorine chemistry make possible clean water and safe foods, medical equipment, construction materials, computers, electronics, automobiles, clothing and sports equipment. New Jersey's pharmaceutical industry uses its products. While some might lead the public to believe otherwise, for the majority of these applications, there are simply no reasonable substitutes for chlorine.
The use of chlorine and the filtration of drinking water have been called the most significant public health advances of the millennium. Bullet-resistant equipment, fighter jets, high-tech communications and surveillance equipment all rely on chlorine chemistry. Much of the protective gear and life-saving equipment needed by the first responders are also produced with the help of chlorine chemistry. Therefore, the transportation of chlorine from production facilities to end users such as water treatment plants is essential to realize its public health benefit.
Aware of threats
Chemical security has been and will continue to be a priority for the industry. The industry continues to adapt security to address emerging threats.
Currently, more than 20 federal laws and a host of state and local statutes regulate New Jersey chemical facilities. The industry is also working on security awareness training at its facilities. It is committed to working with the state and the federal government to review existing and implement new guidelines for the safe transport of chemicals.
Tragic incidents such as the one in Baghdad last month may occur. But the industry is always on call to help emergency responders through CHEMTREC and CHLOREP, the American Chemistry Council's 24/7 emergency response services. Also available are industry partners such as TRANSCAER (Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response), a voluntary national outreach effort that focuses on assisting communities in preparing for and responding to potential hazardous material transportation incidents.
New Jersey cannot and should not abandon the chemical industry and its products. In America, we protect our infrastructure, not abandon it, and essential products need to be protected.
New Jersey's $27 billion chemical sector is critical to the state's economy. It directly employs 70,000 people in the state, with another 344,000 jobs also supported by the industry. These jobs generate $22.4 billion in earnings and $1 billion in state and local taxes on personal income.
In a state that struggles to decrease its deficit, now is not the time to forsake an industry that continues to contribute to the state's economy, and continues to do the right thing by adhering to strict safety and security guidelines.
Hal Bozarth is executive director of the Chemistry Council of New Jersey, a trade group.
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