Analyst's note:  If we think the explosion at the Texas fertilizer plant was bad .... look what could be next, thanks to government corruption and abuse.  The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) "fails miserably" to help identify critical safety and security risks associated with a major source of 'weapons of mass destruction' available to our enemies. DHS is derelict in its duties and at least nine years behind on the first step in approving the security plans of approximately 3,500 facilities within the continental United States.

[....] The U.S has been at risk of a WMD attack for years because the government bureaucrats responsible for the security and safety at thousands of laboratories that conduct research with deadly chemicals and bacteria fail to perform their duties, according to a report released by non-partisan watchdog group that investigates and exposes government corruption and abuse.

"Apparently too busy targeting patriots, DHS ignores security lapses At biochemical labs, putting America at risk of a bioterrorism attack," said investigative journalist Pat Dollard.

[....] "Unbelievable, but true; while the government meddles in areas that it shouldn’t, it fails miserably to fulfill its duties," noted Judicial Watch officials.

Critical safety and security risks identified at labs that deal with deadly germs have been largely ignored by President Barack Obama's leaders at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), leaving the nation dangerously vulnerable to a chemical or biological attack.

There are upwards of 3,500 locations within the continental United States that conduct research with potential bioterror germs and a DHS branch called Infrastructure Security Compliance Division (ISCD) is responsible for assuring that they are secure under a special program known as Chemical Facilities Anti-Terrorism Standards (CFATS). This has not happened, according to several federal audits that date back to 2007 during the Bush Administration.

It will take Homeland Security up nine years at its current rate to complete the approval process of the security plans submitted via the Chemical Facility Anti-Terrorism Standards program, the Government Accountability Office stated.

In the latest probe, released just weeks ago, investigators from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the investigative arm of Congress, revealed that the DHS has essentially been derelict in its duties.

[....] DHS established the CFATS program in 2007 to assess the risk posed by these facilities and inspect them to ensure compliance with DHS standards. ISCD, which manages the program, places high-risk facilities in risk-based tiers and is to conduct inspections after it approves facility security plans. [....]