In an unexpected twist, two House committees may find themselves in a jurisdiction fight over dueling bills to reauthorize the country's program to secure chemical facilities against terrorist attacks and thefts. Members of both the House Homeland Security Committee and House Energy and Commerce Committee introduced legislation last week to reauthorize the Department of Homeland Security's Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS) program, which requires chemical companies to develop and implement specific security plans for their facilities. In addition to those two bills, Pennsylvania Rep. Charlie Dent (R) also introduced standalone legislation. The multiple bills surprised some observers, who expected a straightforward process for reauthorizing the program, which was launched four years ago and will expire on March 18. Go to story #1