July 10--WASHINGTON -- Sen. Barbara Boxer told Texans Tuesday that she would not rest until there were better regulations in place to prevent another explosion like the one that killed 15 and injured more than 160 at a fertilizer storage facility in April.
Boxer, a California Democrat who chairs the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee, faulted not only the federal government but state and local officials for lax oversight of dangerous chemicals.
She criticized two federal agencies -- the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Health and Safety Administration -- for not staying on top of the issue. On Tuesday, she followed up with a letter to all 50 governors, including Texas Republican Rick Perry, asking them to review their own regulations.
"They're always saying they don't want federal regulations," Boxer said. "They now know what can happen."
Ammonium nitrate, which is sensitive to heat, exploded at the West Fertilizer Co.'s storage and distribution facility as firefighters responded to a fire there. The plant had no sprinkler system, was not required to meet fire codes and stored chemicals in wooden buildings.
"You've got authorities at every level in every state" with oversight of chemical storage, Boxer said. "You have a governor to county supervisors ... fire departments, city councils. We all have to work on this."
"I just want the people of West, Texas, to know, because I really made a commitment to them and other communities across the nation, that I don't intend to stop," Boxer said.
Boxer held a June 27 hearing on the explosion, when she ripped federal officials at the EPA and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for not staying on top of safety rules for the use of industrial chemicals.
She said she has asked the EPA to update its alert on ammonium nitrate, which the agency last issued in 1997, and review its risk management requirements, saying the current rules are from "the last century."
Boxer promised a follow-up hearing in September or October, and faulted Senate Republicans for blocking the nomination of Gina McCarthy to lead the EPA.
She predicted the Senate would vote on the McCarthy nomination next week, and that Republicans have no reason to block a qualified nominee who has worked for five Republican governors, including former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who lost his presidential bid last year.
Carolyn Lochhead is The San Francisco Chronicle's Washington correspondent. E-mail: [email protected]
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