By Congresswoman Eddie Bernice Johnson
In April, a massive explosion at a fertilizer plant killed fourteen people in the town of West, Texas. Several firefighters were killed, two hundred citizens were injured, a public school and homes were destroyed and a crater, reportedly the size of a professional basketball court, was created.
A spokesman for the fertilizer company confirmed that the plant did not contain fire sprinklers. Investigators concluded that the company used wooden bins to store dangerous ammonium nitrate that detonated in a building which contained dry combustible seeds.
The deadly event in West, near Waco, was created by people. It was not caused by nature. It is similar to the BP oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico, and the company responsible for the calamity should be the one that pays the costs of restoration.
In 2006, the Environmental Protection Agency inspected the plant and assessed its owners a fine of $2,300 for failing to update a risk management plan. In 2011, another federal agency cited the plant for not having a “security plan,” and for the mishandling of dangerous materials.
The federal government has provided funding to cover 75 percent of monies that Texas incurred for removal of debris and emergency protective measures. More than 800 individuals have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for assistance. That agency and the Small Business Administration have provided more than $10 million in direct federal disaster assistance grants and low interest loans to eligible residents and business owners.
As expected, Texas Governor Rick Perry has attacked FEMA and President Obama’s administration for not doing more. My question to Mr. Perry is, what more do you expect the federal government to do, given a situation that could have been prevented had the state been diligent while monitoring safety procedures.
I am hopeful that Governor Perry is mindful that it was a Texas based privately owned company that caused the deaths of fourteen people, injuries to countless others and millions of dollars in property damage. I do not see the hand of the federal government in causing this calamity.
Sober minded members of the public are asking themselves just who should provide the necessary funding in the wake of this event. Certainly taxpayers should not have to pay for the omissions of a private company that is fully responsible for what occurred.
