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There has been a lot of publicity in the last year or so about businesses fleeing the burdensome, over-regulated business climate of California by moving to Texas. Texas Governor Rick Perry has come to California and other states to try and lure businessmen to Texas, touting a business-friendly and welcoming environment with a minimum of government regulation.
There are many stories about the lure of Texas as a place to base a business. Besides a comparatively low level of government control and regulation, there is the low cost of housing and a generally strong economy. Never mind the stifling heat and humidity, the mosquitos, tornados and hurricanes, or the increased danger to Texans that can result from a lack of government oversight of business operations.
This past week the people of West, Texas (which is actually in central, not west, Texas), found out firsthand what a friendly, lightly regulated business climate means. It means a fertilizer factory that was last inspected in the 1980’s, that failed to report that it was storing massive amounts of ammonia – a component in the fertilizer it made, and which was allowed to exist by a lack of government inspection – can blow up and destroy a small town, taking many lives with it.
Perhaps all is not lost to the town of West, though much of the town is gone. NBC News quoted Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner as stating “we do have a large crater” when describing the place where the plant used to stand. It is doubtful the crater will become an on-going tourist attraction, thus pumping some tourism money into the local Texas economy. Whether that crater will be effectively utilized as some kind of draw for a California (or other state) business seeking to relocate in order to escape an atmosphere of state regulation and control remains to be seen. The crater might actually be found to be toxic if some regulatory agency dares to check it out.
If we know Texass they’ll probably put a preschool and a park on the spot. They like their kids contaminated young… puts hair on the chest (especially the girls).
Wow…you should be so proud of yourself; making fun of a tragedy…what a wonderful human you must be
Businesses aren’t leaving our state in droves, despite the propaganda spewing from the California Chamber of Commerce and other business interests. Companies like it here just fine.
The explosion was a terrible event no doubt but there have been many *accidents* in other states. It seems that many business owners choose to ignore violations and continue to do things that potentially harm employees, surrounding homes and the environment. This time it was an explosion in Texas, but a couple of weeks ago it was an oil spill in Arkansas; 2010 it was a gas line in San Bruno, California — let’s not forget BP and the damage they did in the Gulf. I could go on and on. I think the problem is lack of enforcement and follow up. Is it because there are no longer enough inspectors? My guess is that certain business owners feel they are above the law or think that a huge accident won’t happen to them.
Right here in so-cal Edison wants to restart the nukes even though they cannot be 100% sure there won’t be a leak. They want what they want and it has to do with money. Edison shareholders want what they want and that is money. Everyone else can go to Hell. Businesses do not seem to focus on prevention..which will cost them less money in the long run.
I take that back…everyone seems to wait until the unthinkable happens, whether its an environmental catastrophy or their own health. They just refuse to believe it will happen to them, whether its personal or business.
*Yeah……if they only had those Tar Sands from the Keystone Pipeline….maybe
everything would have been just fine……eh?
OBNO – You are a despicable person.
Suppose a conservative had posted a similar photo of an explosion along with illegal immigrants? You would have gone through the roof. The families of 14 dead know that you are a despicable person.
What’s “despicable” about this post?
News flash bub, Texas had an explosion and Rick Perry is the poster boy for the lax regulations that caused it. This “accident” screams of willful disregard for public safety. Perry’s been governor for 13 years, I wonder what steps he’s taken during his years in office to promote stiffer, stricter enforcement of OSHA, EPA and basic fire safety regulations?
Hmmm.. after a quick goole search I couldn’t find any, but I did find this from 2009;
Perry dismisses federal call to improve safety regulations
By: Heidi Zhou
Gov. Rick Perry addressed industry professionals at the Central Texas Construction ExpoTuesday.
Perry told the audience that the industry owes its success to the state’s business-friendly motto: “Let free enterprise reign, and be wary of over-regulation.”
Expo vendor Mike Stearns said over-regulation makes profiting difficult.
“All that regulation adds to your overhead and you can’t operate at a profit,” he said.
According to the governor, the same goes for safety regulations.
“I think by and large we have the appropriate oversight to keep our citizens safe,” Perry said.
That’s despite Texas having the nation’s most deadly construction industry according to a recent study.
Perry said the title doesn’t worry him.
“I probably put that to the cause of we build more things than anybody else,” he said. “It’s like saying Texas has more cars than anybody else, because we’ve got a lot of people.”
http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/245131/perry-dismisses-federal-call-to-improve-safety-regulations
*************
Keeping silent doesn’t benefit the victims and neither do tears and prayers, but the lawsuits (hopefully) will;
“Two lawsuits, filed in McLennan County district court, have accused Adair Grain Inc., the parent company of West Fertilizer Co., of negligence, according to copies of the filings provided by the court Tuesday.
The company “was negligent in the operation of its facility, creating an unreasonably dangerous condition, which led to the fire and explosion,” said a lawsuit filed Friday by insurance companies on behalf of individuals, two churches and businesses including a Chevrolet car dealership and a bakery.”
http://news.msn.com/us/texas-fertilizer-plant-owner-sued-after-deadly-explosion
Did the author notify anyone in advance that there was going to be a large portion of bovine fecal matter spewing forth prior to posting this?
Were non permeable floors and spill dikes built for it, in case there was rain so that the run off from it wouldn’t escape and pollute the surrounding aquifer? Is there an active spill plan in place? Were the cities runoff specialists consulted? Were vector abatement studies done prior to the dumping?
Was SCAQMD consulted and the proper permits process followed prior to the dumping?
I can only thank god there isn’t aroma enhanced computing available yet!
Some of you may enjoy this article that appeared on the Governing Magazine blog site today:
Conservatives Target Illinois for Job Poaching
Some high-profile Republican governors sent warm greetings this week to businesses in Illinois — “Come on over, the water’s fine,” they seemed to suggest — in a brazen attempt to lure companies away from the Land of Lincoln. Florida Gov. Rick Scott sent a letter Monday to an unspecified number of Illinois businesses, touting his state’s economic success, plans for educating tomorrow’s workforce and low tax burden. On the very same day, Texas Gov. Rick Perry showed up in Chicago to speak at a business conference and host a private reception with business leaders in his own attempt to poach firms from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.
http://www.governing.com/blogs/view/gov-conservatives-target-illinois-businesses-for-poaching.html
*And what did Senator Ted Cruz ….say again? “Regulation in the name of Safety” is not needed Regulation without ” a CEO buying off on it and getting
his annual bonus and taking his annual stock options and getting his continuing resolution of rising Executive Salaries, Perks and Options……..”
Just kidding….Ted Cruz has never made a cogent or intelligent statement just yet…….but we can only hope. Does Ted know that Rick Perry is the Governor, by the way?
A good piece in the LA Times today discussing the West residents who, apparently, aren’t bothered by the causes of this destruction. “Accidents happen” and “water under the bridge” are some of the comments by the famous Texan population that consistently votes against its interests. Meanwhile, Texas has an industrial accident rate that far exceeds California’s and generally leaves the injured workers uncompensated.
Where is that Texas secession petition? I’ll sign.
Accidents happen…water under the bridge…
It’s called denial. An inability to see what is in front of one’s face.
And the cherry-on-top of the Texass mess;
TEXAS PLANT THAT BLEW UP CARRIED $1M POLICY
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN
McALLEN, Texas (AP) — The Texas fertilizer plant that exploded last month, killing 14 people, injuring more than 200 others and causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to the surrounding area had only $1 million in liability coverage, lawyers said Saturday.
Tyler lawyer Randy C. Roberts said he and other attorneys who have filed lawsuits against West Fertilizer’s owners were told Thursday that the plant carried only $1 million in liability insurance. Brook Laskey, an attorney hired by the plant’s insurer to represent West Fertilizer Co., confirmed the amount Saturday in an email to The Associated Press, after the Dallas Morning News first reported it.
“The bottom line is, this lack of insurance coverage is just consistent with the overall lack of responsibility we’ve seen from the fertilizer plant, starting from the fact that from day one they have yet to acknowledge responsibility,” Roberts said.
Roberts said he expects the plant’s owner to ask a judge to divide the $1 million in insurance money among the plaintiffs, several of whom he represents, and then file for bankruptcy.
He said he wasn’t surprised that the plant was carrying such a small policy.
“It’s rare for Texas to require insurance for any kind of hazardous activity,” he said. “We have very little oversight of hazardous activities and even less regulation.”
And what are insurance requirements in other states for this?
That’s just sad, all the way around.
California state regulators recently advised against a fine for the PG&E utility company even though it was found to have violated dozens of state regulations in the 2010 gas explosion in San Bruno. The tragic blast came in the nation’s most-regulated state, and involved a regulated utility that can’t sweep a sidewalk without state regulatory approval.
Gee, something exploded in Texas so it must be a lack of government at fault, but when something explodes in California it must be caused by corporate greed, even if the explosion came at a government-sanctioned monopoly business
Steven Greenhut –
Greenhut raises a legitimate point. Perhaps we need better investigation into PG&E. Perhaps we have to be more concerned with regulatory capture and the standards they use to assess liability of corporations. (I said that Greenhut raised the point, not that he did so intentionally.)
Greenhut also raises an illegitimate point. It’s not competing explanations of “lack of government” versus “corporate greed” — it’s how lack of government (or at least lack of effective government, if it was vitiated by regulatory capture) promotes corporate greed by letting the greediest corporations attain an illegitimate advantage over would-be law-abiding corporations, causing them to have to match the illegal actions to avoid being driven out of the market. If that subtlety escapes you, have someone (probably not Greenhut) explain it to you.