Yikes. West Fertilizer: New info

[cali]

<snip>

The fertilizer storage facility that exploded this week in the town of West, Texas, had informed a state agency in February that it was storing up to 270 tons of ammonium nitrate – the highly explosive chemical compound used in the domestic terror attack on the Oklahoma City federal building.

The company's risk management plan, filed with the federal Environmental Protection Agency in 2011, made no mention of ammonium nitrate.

It's not clear whether the ammonium nitrate, which was not initially reported as being present at the site in the wake of Wednesday's massive blast, was responsible for the explosion, or whether volunteer firefighters battling a fire at the facility knew of its presence. Under state law, hazardous chemicals must be disclosed to the community fire department and to the county emergency planning agency, in addition to the state. News reports on Thursday focused on tanks of anhydrous ammonia –a less volatile fertilizer.

<snip>

http://openchannel.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/04/19/17818046-texas-fertilizer-plant-also-stored-explosive-chemical-used-in-oklahoma-city-bomb?lite

[Scuba]

1. Not to worry, the "free hand of the market" will sort it all out ...

... now, on to tort reform!! Gotta stop all those exhorbitant jury awards!

[cali]

2. and in that spirit: Dismantle OSHA!!! Gut the EPA!!!

[hatrack]

3. Freedumb!

Nobody's gunna tell me what t'do with MAH property!

[IADEMO2004]

5. Lucky they have a governor like Rick Perry. NOT

I never heard of anhydrous explosions in Iowa and it's the only chemical more popular than Roundup here. I suspected ammonium nitrate from the beginning of this disaster. Next to a school, nursing home, and apartment building, these people are going to jail. I can't imagine any fire fighter knowing that amount of ammonium nitrate was that close to a school wouldn't go ape shit. OSHA and EPA were created to prevent this but they called the villians by AHOLES like Gov. Perry

[cali]

10. On local news last night, I heard an interview with

local farmer/fertilizer dealer. He said this fertilizer isn't used in VT or the northeast at all and hasn't been for years because it's "dangerous and corrosive" He said it's used because it's cheap.

http://www.fox44abc22yourvoice.com/story/22018305/vt-hasnt-used-the-fertilizer

[Dickster]

21. Here's the deal about fertilizer...

Ammonium nitrate and anhydrous ammonia are not the same thing. Anhydrous ammonia is a liquid nitrogen fertilizer that is stored in huge tanks under pressure. At atmospheric pressure, it is a gas. Under pressure, it is a liquid, just like LP gas. However, it is not in and of itself explosive. Subjected to great amounts of heat, like in a fire, the tank could possibly explode due to an increase in pressure. Those tanks are supposed to have pressure release valves, just like your hot water heater, but if the source of the heat is strong enough, the relief valve may not be able to release the pressure in time, thus possibly exploding. Anhydrous ammonia is very dangerous if not handled properly, it has a great affinity for water, thats why it works so well as a fertilizer, when it is injected into the ground, it immediately attaches itself to any moisture in the ground, thereby making itself available to plants as they grow. By it's very nature, it's attraction to water, makes it dangerous if not handled properly. It can blind you if too much of it gets in your eyes, it can burn your skin if exposed. So caution must be used when using it. It is probably the most widely used form of nitrogen fertilizer used in agriculture and storage tanks of it exist all over rural USA.
Ammonium nitrate is another story. It is a dry form of fertilizer, just like the stuff you buy at the hardware store to fertilize your lawn. It was developed during WWII as an explosive. Mixed with diesel fuel or racing fuel, it can be extremely dangerous. It was the explosive used in Oklahoma City. All by itself it is harmless. Mixed with fuel...very dangerous. It is not as commonly used in agriculture anymore, mostly because it has the potential for being made into explosives, and the reluctance of dealers to have it around, and also, it has become much more of a headache for suppliers because of tightened government regulation and paperwork involved in it's use. Most suppliers have switched to urea, which is much safer more widely available. I don't know how this terrible accident could have happened, but I suspect some strange mix of circumstances that caused this this to happen.

[cali]

22. thank you for your informative post

[TrogL]

25. I only caught the tail end of this

The news last night was going on and on about some issue with firefighters using water to fight the fire. From what you're saying this would be a Bad Idea. Is the issue that they should have known better, or that they didn't know the stuff was there and had they known, they would have used foam or backed off?

[Pharaoh]

23. problem is

they won't go to jail
and the people will bail them out.

because it's capitalism ya know.................

[Blue_Tires]

19. I'm curious to know Ron Paul's thoughts on this

it is HIS state, after all...

[Scuba]

27. Ron's been quiet this week. Unusually so.

[davidpdx]

13. Yep, that did work well

Thanks Ronald Reagan, G.H. Bush, and W.

[Dustlawyer]

17. They already did. They stopped almost ALL jury awards! They brainwash all of these people

for tort reform and to not award money EVER! Then the people wonder why we cannot take their case when they get hurt by a drunk doctor committing malpractice or by a defective product or drug.

[AnotherMcIntosh]

20. And, of course, Texas jury awards in favor of plaintiffs are overturned in more than half the time.

[Dustlawyer]

31. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of corporations

87% of the time. Our firm just hired Justice David Medina who stepped down 1-1-2013 just to argue our many appeals of Judge Barbier who is over the BP oil spill case b/c the US Chamber of Commerce has stacked the Courts of Appeals with right wing Justices. I have a 1.2 million dollar judgement on a case where the life insurance company refused to pay. They failed to contest the policy timely (1 1/2 years late). The defense attorney is a big fundraiser for all of the Repug Justices. The appeal has no merit, the law is over 100 years on the books and has been upheld by the Supremes many times in years past. They offered $15,000 to settle the judgement. Do you think the defense attorney knows something I don't?

[AnotherMcIntosh]

32. I'm glad that I'm retired.

Easier on the blood pressure.

And I no longer have to think that judges, any judges, are solely influenced by the law and the facts before them.

[Dustlawyer]

33. When the BP oil spill case is over, so will my career. I am burnt out!

[HenryWallace]

26. You reap what you sow!

Houston, the 4th largest city in the US, has no zoning laws!

Land is always available for it's "highest & best use."

[xmas74]

4. And what's anhydrous used for?

It's used in the production of meth.

I live in a rural area. Back in the 90's anhydrous thefts were a constant in the area.

Even if there was no ammonium nitrate left in the tanks anhydrous is dangerous enough. The fumes can do some nasty damage to your lungs.

[IADEMO2004]

6. Growing corn in Iowa. I can see two tanks outside my kitchen window.

It is injected into the ground before planting. Stinks like hell.

[Buzz Clik]

7. Anhydrous does not explode. It's an excellent fertilizer.

I have no idea what you're on about.

[cali]

12. here's a farmer/fertilizer dealer who disagrees with you

about it being an excellent fertilizer:


http://www.fox44abc22yourvoice.com/story/22018305/vt-hasnt-used-the-fertilizer

[Buzz Clik]

14. The chemist being interviewed was distorting the truth.

I don't have time to deal with this now, but later.

You cannot detonate anhydrous without very special circumstances (perfect mix of oxygen and anhydrous). Suggesting that one can ignite it with "just a spark" is silly. I hope he was misquoted.

I will also look up fertilizer usage in New England. I'm willing to bet the article is totally full of crap about anhydrous not being used in New England for thirty years.

[Purplehazed]

30. He's wrong

Quick google search, Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer is available from Green Mountain Fertilizer, Milton VT

[hobbit709]

8. Around West it would probably have been used to grow cotton.

[Buzz Clik]

9. excellent post

[Honeycombe8]

11. Oh, God. But hey, it's none of the business of that pesky EPA! Nosey mothers.

The EPA costs us good jobs! The EPA needs to be done away with! (I think that was one of the three agencies that Perry wanted to kill?)

[Justice]

15. I wondered whether the firefighters knew what was on site. The CEO of the hospital did not seem to

In interviews on TV that night, the CEO of the hospital was asked if they had special procedures in place because of the fertilizer plant. He said no and seemed mystified by the question - he then said they of course had procedures in place for emergencies as all hospitals did - but nothing specific to the fertilizer plant.

[BlueToTheBone]

16. No Nanny state for Texas

Do as you will and demand the rest of take care of the aftermath.

[valerief]

18. I'll bet the security guard goes to prison for this, not the friggin' evil owners. nt

[DallasNE]

24. This Is Why There Needs To Be Random Surprise Inspections

You just can't trust self policing like this because it just doesn't work. The other thing is zoning. Plants like this should not be permitted in populated areas. That would work both ways. Plants can't be built in such areas and once the plant is built in a remote area a buffer zone against residential expansion would have to be put in place -- somewhere around a 100 acre footprint for a plant like this.

[Liberalagogo]

28. Shouldn't all highly explosive items

Last edited Fri Apr 19, 2013, 05:27 PM - Edit history (1)

be stored within walking distance of schools and nursing homes? Nobody gives a sh*t about kids and old people.

[AndyA]

29. This is what happens when you continue to hack away at budgets

to funnel more money to millionaires, subsidies to corporations, and divert money for wars. Rachel Maddow said that this facility was last inspected by OSHA in 1985!

With OSHA's current staffing, they are able to inspect a plant just once every 129 years.

THIS is what cuts to the budget give us. Instead of cutting defense and getting rid of tax loopholes for billionaires and major corporations, we cut vital public safety budgets and depend on the private sector to police themselves.

BP proved that doesn't work. ExxonMobile has also shown that despite obscene profits, they won't spend the money to maintain the integrity of their pipelines. This plant in Texas is further proof that the private sector cannot be depended upon to do the right thing. It must be forced on them.

This is further proof that Congress isn't really concerned about the well being of the American people. We are expected to just tolerate periodic tragedies across the country. A mass shooting here, and explosion there, a major oil leak somewhere else...

Enough is ENOUGH!