PLAYING
WITH FIRE
tions, including failing to draft a
safety plan for the transport of the
large canisters of pressurized anhydrous ammonia stored on site.
In 2006, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality,
the primary enforcer of environmental law in the state, noted
that two schools were situated
within 3,000 feet of the fertilizer
plant. But the agency determined
that “the impact potential” of an
accident on the neighboring community “was low.”
When assessing risks at the
plant, the commission and the
EPA focused solely on the potential hazards of the ammonium
canisters, such as whether they
were stored correctly or were
leaking. The agencies did not inspect to see if other chemicals on
hand might ignite and explode.
“There is really no safety assessment of these facilities when
there should be,” said Neil Carman, who for more than a decade
inspected facilities like West Fertilizer while working for the Texas
commission, before joining the
Sierra Club, the national environmental advocacy organization.
Neither Donald Adair, the
plant’s owner, nor Ted Uptmore,
its manager, could be reached for
HUFFINGTON
04.28.13
“IT’S LIKE YOU’RE ON THE
TOP OF MT. EVEREST AND
SOMEONE PULLS A GUN
ON YOU. YOU CAN JUMP OR
GET SHOT. THERE ARE NO
GOOD CHOICES.”
comment. Adair released a statement on Friday, writing: “My
heart is broken with grief for the
tragic losses to so many families
in our community.” He added that
“the tragedy will continue to hurt
deeply for generations to come.”
The statement said the plant’s
owners would limit comments
in the weeks and months ahead,
“out of respect for the investigative process.”
As investigators combed
through the blackened rubble of
the factory over the weekend, and
as the citizens of West began to
mourn their dead, many questions
remained about the disaster. Still
unclear was how the fire started,
whether the plant’s materials had
been properly stored and protected, and whether local firefighters
had responded appropriately.
Fire safety experts suspect that
a fire ignited the ammonium ni-