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Trump Admin Destroys Worker Safety Rules Created After Deadly Chemical Explosion
Regulations Protect Us.
Regulations Protect Us.
Regulations Protect Us.
...under President Barack Obama in the wake of a 2013 explosion in West, Tex., that killed 15 people, including 12 first responders.... Federal regulators sought to tighten handling procedures for flammable and toxic chemicals after more than 80,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate stored at a fertilizer plan in the Central Texas town of West caught fire April 7, 2013, killing 15 people and injuring 160. Federal investigators concluded in 2016 that the company had stored the ammonium nitrate in an unsafe manner, though arson was the direct cause of the blaze.
The Environmental Protection Agency weakened a rule Thursday [11/21/19] governing how companies store dangerous chemicals.
Under the new standards, companies will not have to provide public access to information about what kinds of chemicals are stored on their sites. They also will not have to undertake several measures aimed at preventing accidents, such as analyzing safer technology and procedures, conducting a “root-cause analysis” after a major chemical release or obtaining a third-party audit when an accident has occurred.
Intelligent people who are not owned by corporate interests think this destruction of an intelligent regulation is criminal and insane, leaving chemical and refining operations vulnerable to future accidents.
“Given the EPA is first and foremost a public health agency, it is unconscionable that the Trump administration would gut key protections for emergency responders and people living near facilities that handle potentially dangerous chemicals,” said Elena Craft, senior director of climate and health at the Environmental Defense Fund. “We need more-detailed emergency plans, increased transparency and safer technology. This action moves in the wrong direction when it’s clear that the cost of chemical disasters is far greater than keeping communities safe.”