A report released in March highlights the continuing vulnerability of Michigan citizens to potential terrorist attacks on chemical facilities. Thousands of Michigan citizens may be unnecessarily at risk. The coalition releasing the report called for efforts to reduce chemical hazards by requiring companies to consider "inherently safer" technologies and materials, which could reduce-and in many cases eliminate-the possibility of a significant chemical release from either terrorist attack or accidental releases.

The report, Protecting Our Hometowns, assesses chemical hazards state by state and makes the case for federal policy changes. The coalition also released a complementary report, the Safe Hometowns Guide, a citizens' guide to reducing chemical hazards in communities. Community groups have targeted counties in the state with the greatest concentration of facilities and areas housing the most dangerous chemicals.

"There is still much to do to protect the people of Michigan in the wake of the attacks of September 11," said Megan Owens of PIRGIM. "One area that needs improvement is the continued storage of dangerous levels of hazardous chemicals in our communities."

The report has prompted commitments from community leaders across Michigan to take this information to their Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) and use the Safe Hometowns Guide for a review of hazardous assessment in their communities.

The Safe Hometowns Guide is available at www.safehometowns.org. The policy paper, Protecting Our Hometowns, lays out the case for a federal inherent safety program. It can be found at www.pirgim.org.