Fracking drives potentially explosive demand for potentially explosive ammonia factories

[white cloud]

The U.S. could soon be home to a lot more ammonia factories — not a comforting thought after a deadly explosion at an ammonia fertilizer plant in Texas on Wednesday evening. You can blame the fracking boom.

Ammonia is used to produce fertilizer, industrial explosives (like those used in mining), plastics, and other products. It’s becoming cheaper to produce in the U.S. because one of its main feedstocks is natural gas, and natural gas, in case you haven’t heard, is being fracked here at a breakneck pace and sold for bargain-basement prices.
http://grist.org/news/americas-fracking-boom-driving-an-ammonia-boom/

[AnotherMcIntosh]

1. Oh good. One more thing that I wish that I didn't know.