Many Texan cities and counties have weak zoning laws$$

[Ichingcarpenter]

and variances are easy to get. I know this from living in Texas. That's why you can live right next door to an oil refinery or chemical plant whereas in other states this would not be possible.

I tried looking up the zoning law for the town of West in that county of the explosion and also the county and didn't find much. Maybe someone can do better

[hepkat]

1. Yep

Lived there for a long time. They absolutely would put a nuclear facility right next a grade school.

[Electric Monk]

2. While we're at it, see if that fertilizer plant was Koch owned

Wiki says they've got fertilizer plants in Texas.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries#Koch_Fertilizer.2C_LLC

[Newsjock]

5. Assuming their website is accurate, the answer appears to be no

http://www.kochfertilizer.com/pdf/KochFertilizerAssets.pdf

[Electric Monk]

8. Flint Hills Resources, LLC and Koch Pipeline Company, L.P both have Waco divisions

according to this http://www.kochind.com/factssheets/TexasFacts.aspx



Maybe we'll find out tomorrow. It's very inter-connected between oil and fertilizer and all that chemical processing business.

I'm off to bed, cya

[Manifestor_of_Light]

3. Houston has no zoning at all.

[Recursion]

4. Like, literally, no zoning. None.

It's kind of appalling.

[Ichingcarpenter]

7. I've lived in many other states

and I'd say Texas had little on none. City planning is really non existent and is controlled by the all mighty dollar and shortsightedness.

[Recursion]

11. But Houston itself takes that so far as to even shoot the almighty dollar in the foot

I lived near Dallas (Irving), and with enough money you could grease enough city palms to do what development you wanted. Not very equitable, but at least it had the advantages of oligarchy.

In Houston, there is literally nothing anybody can do to prevent anybody from building anything anywhere, with the result that nobody can actually build anything anywhere because there's something else already there. And the roads? Eh, screw it, we'll just build another beltway around everything...

[CincyDem]

6. It's aboot freedom.

[Arugula Latte]

9. When I was a kid we used to visit my relatives in a shithole SE New Mexico town (near Texas border)

It had no zoning, or next to none. I remember being struck by a palpable dislike for the stark functional ugliness of the place. I swear that experience was part of the reason I became a liberal. Quality of life is important.

[npk]

10. A lot of states in South have weak zoning laws

Alabama has very few zoning laws, with the exception of things like bars next to schools. You pretty much rely on the county zoning laws and board members you elect to keep things organized. In south Alabama, for example, you can have trailer parks located smack dab in the middle of a large industrial complex.

[KingFlorez]

12. Texas counties have no authority to zone

Save for a few exceptions, like military institutions and historical reasons, counties have no authority to zone. Anything goes, hence a fertilizer plant close to homes.

[Eleanors38]

13. If my old syllabus for teaching state & local government serves me well...

Texas is the only state in the union which does not accord county zoning. Incorporated municipalities have extra territorial jurisdiction (ETJ) extending five miles from municipal limits. Consolidation or "metro" governance -- as in Florida -- is not allowed either. Municipalities can zone.

[patrice]

14. I hope everyone who was hurt and or died sues the SHIT out of the state. Sorry about

the crudeness in light of this tragedy, but someone somewhere, who deserves it, needs to get even.