Illinois U.S. Senator Barack Obama announces that he and Senator Frank Lautenberg of New Jersey will introduce legislation increase security at chemical plants in the United States at a press conference in Chicago. "There may be no greater failure of our government than the fact that we have done almost nothing to secure one of America's most vulnerable targets - the 15,000 chemical plants in America.", said Obama. "These chemical plants represent some of the most attractive targets for terrorists looking to cause widespread death and destruction. Unfortunately, at many of the chemical plants in our nation, the security is light, the facilities are easily entered, and the contents are deadly." According to the EPA, there are 110 facilities in the United States where an attack on a chemical plant could threaten more than one million people, including seven plants in the Chicago area.