State and local government also regularly have training and practices on how to handle the release of toxic substances. That came in handy in March, when 8,000 people were evacuated in South Salt Lake and thousands more diverted from freeways when a rail tanker car began leaking a mixture of acids.

"Just the week before that, we had a training exercise with South Salt Lake and other agencies, so the response went very, very well," White said.

He adds that Utah has worked especially hard on such training because of an Army incinerator at Deseret Chemical Depot near Tooele that burns chemical weapons. The plant once stored 40 percent of the nation's chemical arms before destruction began.

"It has world-class security, the best anywhere. Because we had that plant out there, we also had to develop response capability and exercises," White said. "As a result, our people have had some of the best training we can get."

Markey said that is not the case nationally, however. News magazines have found lax security at many plants, including finding gates that were unlocked or wide open, dilapidated fences and a lack of guards. He has asked the Bush administration to budget more security upgrades.

The National Environmental Trust, a nonprofit, nonpartisan environmental research and activist group, also expressed concerns about the findings, noting chemicals stored at many plants may amount to "pre-positioned weapons" of mass destruction.

"For many of these facilities, there are safe chemicals and newer technologies that can reduce or eliminate the vulnerability. For others, the only answer is tougher security," said Andy Igrejas, who watches the chemical industry for the trust. He also called for more federal money to improve security.

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E-mail: lee@desnews.com