Debris litters the ground outside a destroyed apartment complex adjacent to the site of the fire and explosion in West, Texas on Wednesday, April 24, 2013. The explosion at West Fertilizer which killed 14 people left a crater more than 90 feet (27 meters) wide and blasted the walls and windows off dozens of buildings in the town of 2,700. (AP Photo/The San Antonio Express-News, Tom Reel, Pool)
Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Ca.) whom is chairwoman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works wants to open an investigation into the West Fertilizer Co. explosion that occurred in West, Texas April 17.
Boxer, whom has jurisdiction over the EPA, sent a letter April 30 pressing the agency to complete a “comprehensive investigation” into what caused the fire and resulting explosion in West Texas that claimed 15 lives, leveled a portion of a town and injured hundreds.
By May 16 this year, Boxer wants the agency to respond to a number of requests. The most prominent requests are to describe the EPA’s investigation into the facility including “timelines and scopes” and an answer to why ammonium nitrate is “not on the list of covered chemicals that facilities must report to EPA under the Risk Management Program.”
Currently, there are no universal federal regulations that pertain to properly containing ammonium nitrate but fire experts continue to push for facilities to practice preventative action in the event of a chemical leak or similar incident.
The Boxer-led investigation comes at a time as media are reporting that some regulators knew of the facility’s close proximity to two schools, a nursing home and a neighborhood.
Firefighters walk a rail line next to fertilizer plant, on right, destroyed by an explosion in West, Texas, Thursday, April 18, 2013. A massive explosion at the plant killed as many as 15 people and injured more than 160, officials said overnight. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
According to The Dallas Morning News, West Fertilizer Co. had difficulties reporting to regulatory agencies in the past:
“In 1984, the company moved two large pressurized tanks of liquid anhydrous ammonia, a potentially lethal poison, from a site in nearby Hill County to its current location in West without notifying state authorities.”
Similarly, West Fertilizer Co. reported to the EPA and local regulatory agencies that the facility presented “no” fire or explosive risk to the public.
The ensuing April 17 explosion registered as a 2.1 on the Richter scale, which would be considered a small earthquake.
According to The Dallas Morning News, Reuters and The Associated Press, West Fertilizer Co. had at least 2400 tons of ammonium nitrate — the same chemical compound that Boxer wants investigated.
This large amount of the ammonium nitrate is 1,350 times the amount that is required for a facility to self-report to the Department of Homeland Security.
Ammonium nitrate is a typical fertilizer used for industrial farming in many regions throughout the world.
The chemical is stable if stored appropriately but it can also be used as a bomb to inflict massive damage as was seen in the bombing of Oklahoma City’s Murrah Federal Building by Timothy McVeigh in 1995.
