Trump regime: it's safer for ammonium nitrate and other explosives to be unregulated

[muriel_volestrangler]

That way, you can hide it from the terrorists!

No, Not The Onion:

Days before President Barack Obama left office in 2017, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule aimed at preventing tragedies like the 2013 explosion and fire in the tiny Central Texas town of West that killed a dozen first responders.

Among other requirements, what came to be known as the “Chemical Disaster Rule” would have made it easier for the public to access hazard-planning documents and required increased coordination with first responders. It also required companies to provide increased emergency planning information to local officials and to hold more frequent meetings and trainings.

On Thursday, the EPA — which delayed implementation of the Obama rule after Trump took office — announced it would largely unwind the regulation, which was widely unpopular in the chemical industry. Republican officials argued it was too burdensome and increased the risk of terror attacks as it required some divulgence by facilities regarding what dangerous chemicals they stored. Some first responder groups also argued the regulation is too complex, though in lawsuits filed after the West incident and other recent chemical plant explosions, first responders have argued that a lack of information impacted their ability to respond effectively.

https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2019/11/22/352397/trump-epa-eases-safety-requirements-enacted-after-west-explosion/

Not just the Idiot's Arselicking Appointees, either:

In 2014, citing the need to keep sensitive information hidden because of “ongoing terroristic activity,” Paxton’s predecessor, now-Gov. Greg Abbott, ruled that the state no longer had to release plants' chemical inventories, saying the companies themselves would.

So I expect Trump will be congratulating the Lebanese authorities on not doing anything about those tons of explosive ...

[abqtommy]

1. Perhaps the best place to store ammonium nitrate is in the White House basement then?

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. You beat me to it!

[crickets]

3. Questions:

Does the EPA have authority to delay implementation of regulations? What does it mean when the EPA says it will "unwind the regulation?" Are they saying the regulation is there, but because it isn't popular, the EPA will change it to make businesses happy?

Somehow I thought the EPA was supposed to function a little differently.

[keithbvadu2]

4. Doesn't Texas have a record of chemical plant explosions, killing many workers and neighbors?

Doesn't Texas have a record of chemical plant explosions, killing many workers and neighbors?