General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Business is booming in Texas! [View all]DallasNE
(7,403 posts)I believe it was in 2011 that the Republicans attached an amendment to a bill that transferred regulation of the chemical industry from an operational unit (the EPA) to an umbrella group without an operational arm (the DHS), effectively killing regulation of the chemical industry. DHS didn't even know that this plant existed, let alone know about how to conduct inspections and enforce regulations. Maybe someone should ask John Boehner about how this happened. While State regulators knew about the plant it didn't know about the 270 tons of highly explosive fertilizer and neither did the 10 first responders that walked into that death trap. The plant management had an obligation to inform the first responders so they could have spent their time evacuating the surrounding area rather than walking into sure death. People need to go to jail over this.