Drummond leads 18-state coalition urging EPA to protect chemical facility data from cybersecurity threats
OKLAHOMA CITY (May 12, 2026) – Attorney General Gentner Drummond today is calling on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to lock down a proposed federal database of chemical facility information that the coalition says could help foreign governments and hackers target American infrastructure.
Drummond and a coalition of 17 state attorneys general filed formal comments with the EPA on a proposed rule that would overhaul chemical accident prevention requirements. The states back the EPA’s push to cut red tape but say one piece of the proposal – a public online database of facility-level chemical data – could do more harm than good.
“Oklahoma is home to critical energy and chemical facilities that power this nation,” Drummond said. “We have an obligation to protect those facilities and the communities around them, and that means making sure sensitive information about what's stored there doesn't end up in the wrong hands.”
Chemical plants and refineries covered by the program store substances that could sicken or kill nearby residents if released. The states warn the database would bundle chemical inventories, facility layouts and maps showing how far a toxic cloud could spread and make it available to anyone with an internet connection, including adversaries who have spent years probing U.S. energy and chemical systems.
“The proposed rule fixes many of the Biden Administration missteps, but we ask the EPA to implement rigorous access controls on the Data Tool so that it can ensure that data access initiatives do not inadvertently introduce new vulnerabilities,” the letter says.
The coalition asked the EPA to audit the database for security risks before launch, strip out or combine data that could identify specific facilities, loop in the Department of Homeland Security and federal cybersecurity officials in its design and give facilities a way to challenge disclosures they believe put them at risk.
Joining Drummond on the coalition are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia.
