Texas Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years

[TruthOut10]

WEST, Texas -- Long before it captured national headlines as the scene of a lethal industrial explosion, the fertilizer plant on the edge of this central Texas town had been a community fixture, a crucial supply depot for farmers and ranchers who worked the surrounding pastures.

No one seemed to regard it as a threat.

"It's been there so long that you just take it for granted," said Jeanette Karlik, a columnist for the local newspaper, the West News.

That same attitude -- the assumption that nothing of consequence could go wrong here -- appears to have shaped the actions of the seven or more state and federal regulatory agencies that collectively shared oversight responsibility for the plant, according to a Huffington Post investigation.

Please read more at the link.

West Fertilizer Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years

Please add content to your op. - Newby

 

[tjvh]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough moral and legal integrity left to prosecute.

 

[kiwiman127]

Wasn't the BP spill/explosion also the result of lack of regulations being enforced for years?
West Fertilizer should be made to pay big time and shut down. If any federal or state agency didn't do their job, they should be liable.

 

[tjvh]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough strength left to prosecute.

I'm only saying that accidents can and do happen when companies deal with highly flammable and explosive products... It's just a fact of life. No government agency will ever make dealing with these products completely safe.

 

[kiwiman127]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough strength left to prosecute.

I'm only saying that accidents can and do happen when companies deal with highly flammable and explosive products... It's just a fact of life. No government agency will ever make dealing with these products completely safe.

But maybe having a 1,000 plus times less of the chemical per the regulations, would have prevented loss of life. Of course that would have involved following set regulations!

 

[kiwiman127]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough strength left to prosecute.

I'm only saying that accidents can and do happen when companies deal with highly flammable and explosive products... It's just a fact of life. No government agency will ever make dealing with these products completely safe.

But maybe having a 1,300 times less of the chemical per the regulations, would have prevented loss of life. Of course that would have involved following set regulations!

 

[TruthSeeker56]

Let this be a LESSON for all of you gun control advocates in here.

A regulation or law is only as valid as the abilities of the government agency or agencies that are charged with the OVERSIGHT and ENFORCEMENT of the regulation or law.

GOVERNMENT failed again, because there will always be plenty of CRIMINALS out there who will ignore the laws and regulations in our society.

 

[BallsBrunswick]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

...Did you not just see what was essentially a TNT factory explode killing potentially triple digits worth of people? Yes, this seems like a no brainer for something the government to be involved in. Your post is just mindblowingly stupid.

 

[editec]

Since we cannot find the resources to regulate and monitor every industrial process, the very least we ought to do is punish those whose heinous disregard for safety caused a disaster like this to pay the maximum penalty for their selfish indifference.

Will we do that?

Unlikely.

Perhaps they'll pin the whole mess on some nobody worker -- likely one dead who cannot defend himself.

The board of directors, the corporate officers, the management?

They'll likely get a pass.

Now this is not CLASS WAR. (heavens,no!)

This is CLASSISM PER USUAL UNDER THE FLAG OF LEGAL AUTHORITY

 

[JoeB131]

What annoyed me.

Noted Retard Rick Perry was in IL inviting business to relocate to Texas yesterday.

Because his state is more friendly to business.

In that they don't have all those pesky safety regulators telling a real man how to run his business, I guess.

 

[martybegan]

WEST, Texas -- Long before it captured national headlines as the scene of a lethal industrial explosion, the fertilizer plant on the edge of this central Texas town had been a community fixture, a crucial supply depot for farmers and ranchers who worked the surrounding pastures.

No one seemed to regard it as a threat.

"It's been there so long that you just take it for granted," said Jeanette Karlik, a columnist for the local newspaper, the West News.

That same attitude -- the assumption that nothing of consequence could go wrong here -- appears to have shaped the actions of the seven or more state and federal regulatory agencies that collectively shared oversight responsibility for the plant, according to a Huffington Post investigation.

Through interviews with former regulators and community leaders, as well as a review of hundreds of pages of documents going back to 1976, a sense emerges that no institution sounded the alarm here, even as fertilizer piled up inside the plant, creating a potentially deadly tinderbox in close proximity to the town. No one effectively prepared for the emergency that eventually materialized, leaving this community uniquely vulnerable to the tragedy that unfolded last week when the plant caught fire and exploded, killing 14 people and ripping apart an apartment building, a school and dozens of homes.

West Fertilizer Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years

You do know they haven't found the cause of ignition yet, right? Until then you don't know what contributed to the explosion or did not contribute.

And since when did hufflepuffle get an industrial accident investigator on its staff?

 

[rightwinger]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough moral and legal integrity left to prosecute.

It is all part of operating in the business friendly State of Texas

Regulation? We don't need no regulation
Come to Texas.....Land of free enterprise without government intervention

 

[Oddball]

Texas Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years

What....Is that supposed to be some kind of evidence of the efficiency and efficacy of the bureaucratic/regulatory state?

 

[waltky]

Criminal investigation into West, Texas blast...

Texas fertiliser plant blast: Criminal probe launched
10 May 2013 - Texas authorities have launched a criminal probe into a deadly explosion at a fertiliser plant in April.

The incident "severely impacted" the community in the town of West, a law enforcement official said. The 17 April explosion at West Fertilizer Company killed 14 people, wounded 200, and caused a tremor as powerful as a small earthquake. Meanwhile, a paramedic who responded to the blast was charged with possessing pipe bomb components, prosecutors said. The explosion flattened homes, shattered a block of flats and badly damaged a nursing home and several schools. "This disaster has severely impacted the community of West, and we want to ensure that no stone goes unturned and that all the facts related to this incident are uncovered," Texas Public Safety Director Steven McGraw said.

And McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara said: "The citizens of McLennan County and Texas must have confidence that this incident has been looked at from every angle." The statement did not detail any further reasons for the criminal investigation and said no additional information would be released. Authorities had said earlier there was no indication that the explosion and the fires that preceded it were anything other than an industrial accident. Also on Friday, paramedic Bryce Reed made a brief court appearance in the town of Waco where he was charged with owning an unregistered destructive device.

Bryce Reed was one of the first responders at the scene of the blast

According to the criminal complaint, police were called to a Texas residence on Tuesday where they discovered bomb-making components including a galvanised metal pipe, fuse, lighter and explosive powder in bags. A Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives specialist and a chemist examined the items and agreed the "combination of parts can be readily assembled into a destructive device", the complaint says. Law enforcement officials have not linked the charge to the fire or the explosion at the fertiliser plant.

Sheriff McNamara said in a statement: "It is important to emphasize that at this point, no evidence has been uncovered to indicate any connection to the events surrounding the fire and subsequent explosion... and the arrest of Bryce Reed." Mr Reed, who helped in the emergency response to the blast, did not enter a plea. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and be fined up to $250,000 (£163,000). The Dallas Morning News that Bryce Reed told the newspaper he had assumed radio command of the response to the fertiliser plant incident after it killed his superiors and colleagues.

BBC News - Texas fertiliser plant blast: Criminal probe launched

 

[Quantum Windbag]

WEST, Texas -- Long before it captured national headlines as the scene of a lethal industrial explosion, the fertilizer plant on the edge of this central Texas town had been a community fixture, a crucial supply depot for farmers and ranchers who worked the surrounding pastures.

No one seemed to regard it as a threat.

"It's been there so long that you just take it for granted," said Jeanette Karlik, a columnist for the local newspaper, the West News.

That same attitude -- the assumption that nothing of consequence could go wrong here -- appears to have shaped the actions of the seven or more state and federal regulatory agencies that collectively shared oversight responsibility for the plant, according to a Huffington Post investigation.

Please read more at the link.

West Fertilizer Plant's Hazards Eluded Regulators For Nearly 30 Years

Please add content to your op. - Newby

I have two words for you, San Bruno.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough moral and legal integrity left to prosecute.

The PUC in California recently ruled that PG&E should pay $2.5 billion for violating dozens of federal, and state, safety rules and completely mismanaging their pipelines over a period of decades. I wonder, is there a reason that you are not pointing to this disaster as proof that we need more regulations and demanding prosecutors file charges?

Could it be because they actually have all those regulations in California, and it didn't help?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

A lot of your posts make sense. The one above does not. And this is not a debate, so no discussion shall follow.

An honest plant manager would not have let that happen. The accident was EASILY avoidable by following EXISTING regulations, which sight unseen, I'd bet my life were not followed.

What we are looking at in West, Tejas, is a crime scene. And there isn't a doubt about it.

What is in doubt is if the fucking government has enough strength left to prosecute.

I'm only saying that accidents can and do happen when companies deal with highly flammable and explosive products... It's just a fact of life. No government agency will ever make dealing with these products completely safe.

But maybe having a 1,000 plus times less of the chemical per the regulations, would have prevented loss of life. Of course that would have involved following set regulations!

Considering that they actually ruled out the ammonium nitrate as the source of the fire I don't see how you can say that and consider yourself honest.

Then again, I don't know if you consider yourself honest.

Authorities rule out some potential causes of Texas blast - CNN.com

By the way, did you here that they arrested one of the first responders to the fire for having bomb materials?

http://www.cnn.com/2013/05/10/justice/texas-explosion-probe/index.html

Just something to think about.

By the way, having that much ammonium nitrate on hand does not violate any safety regs.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Oh great... Calls for more government control, as if that would stop accidents like this from happening. It was a fertilizer plant fer crissakes. It couldn't possibly be 100% hazard free, but it's a necessary evil if we want fertilizer for our crops I would suspect.

...Did you not just see what was essentially a TNT factory explode killing potentially triple digits worth of people? Yes, this seems like a no brainer for something the government to be involved in. Your post is just mindblowingly stupid.

I saw a gas pipe explosion with my own eyes that actually caused more monetary damage, I don't recall you crying about the lack of government oversight then.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

Since we cannot find the resources to regulate and monitor every industrial process, the very least we ought to do is punish those whose heinous disregard for safety caused a disaster like this to pay the maximum penalty for their selfish indifference.

Will we do that?

Unlikely.

Perhaps they'll pin the whole mess on some nobody worker -- likely one dead who cannot defend himself.

The board of directors, the corporate officers, the management?

They'll likely get a pass.

Now this is not CLASS WAR. (heavens,no!)

This is CLASSISM PER USUAL UNDER THE FLAG OF LEGAL AUTHORITY

What about PG&E?