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Could chicken houses be a terrorist target?
By Joseph Gidjunis
Staff Writer



      WASHINGTON -- Chicken houses across the country are one step
away from being named the newest terrorist targets demanding stricter
access and regulation, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland
Security.

      As part of the DHS Chemical Security Anti-Terrorism Standards,
facilities with more than 7,500 pounds of propane gas -- 1,785
gallons -- could be considered high-risk. To determine if a facility
is a security risk, operators must process complete "Top Screen"
safety measures, including vulnerability assessments, develop site
security plans and implement protective measures approved by DHS.


      U.S. Sens. Barbara Mikulski, D-Md., Ben Cardin, D-Md., and Tom
Carper, D-Del., have co-authored a letter to Homeland Security
Secretary Michael Chertoff demanding answers for what they describe
as a waste of government time and money.

      The rule affects nearly every poultry grower across the
Delmarva peninsula, and as many as 20,000 sites across the country,
because propane gas is the most popular chicken house heating method.
One house typically has a 1,000 gallon to 1,500 gallon tank attached
to it. There could be more than 50,000 facilities subjected to the
report in the United States, according to the National Propane Gas
Association.

      "We appreciate the fact that Homeland Security does have a
responsibility to the security of this nation, but in terms of what
is considered a threat, I would think chicken houses would be so far
down on the list that nobody would ever find it," said Worcester
County farmer Virgil Shockley, who has 9,000 gallons heating six
chicken houses. ...