Texas Blast Recalls Chemical Safety Bill Sunk by Business Lobby
As lawmakers pushed a bill to tighten U.S. security standards on chemical factories, fertilizer depots and water-treatment plants in 2009, they faced a formidable opponent: the U.S. business community.
Mining companies, refiners, paint makers, explosive fabricators and fertilizer plants combined in a multi-million dollar lobbying campaign to stop the measure. Two of the capital’s most potent lobbying forces -- the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and American Farm Bureau -- labeled it a “key vote” of the year. The bill, called a highwater mark of chemical- safety efforts by one supporter, passed the House of Representatives, only to die without a vote in the Senate.
Safety advocates say the deadly explosion of a fertilizer depot in Texas this month underscores the need for action on the issue, both from Congress and President Barack Obama, even in the face of strong industry opposition.
“It highlights and reminds us of the need for better regulations to make this industry safer,” Bob Bostock, a consultant and former adviser at the Environmental Protection Agency under President George W. Bush who supported the 2009 legislation. “This is the largest vulnerability of our infrastructure left unaddressed.”
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-29/texas-blast-recalls-chemical-safety-bill-sunk-by-business-lobby.html
