WNYC Newsroom —

For the past six years, lawmakers in Washington and the chemical lobby have been locked in a debate over how to secure the almost 15,000 chemical plants across the nation. Many experts say these plants are a logical target for a terrorist attack, but only recently has the Department of Homeland Security begun to even address the issue.

New Jersey, densely populated with both plants and people, is not waiting around and has already asked most of its plants to shore up their security practices. But the advances in New Jersey are in danger of being unraveled. WNYC sent Reporter Alexandra Poolos on a visit to Infineum, a plant that produces gas additives in Linden, New Jersey.