West Fertilizer Co., West, TX Explosion-15 Dead, Over 200 Wounded

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Tests-To-Identify-Cause-Of-West-Explosion-Not-Due-Until-2014-221178911.html
Tests To Identify Cause Of West Explosion Not Due Until 2014
August 26, 2013

AUSTIN (August 26, 2013)--Testing that could identify what caused the deadly April 17 explosion at the West Fertilizer plant is not scheduled until 2014, Assistant State Fire Marshal Kelly Kistner told state lawmakers Monday.

Kistner said investigators still haven't ruled out that the blast was a criminal act, but he said chances are not great that they'll ever determine conclusively whether the electrical system at West Fertilizer Co. played a role in igniting the fire that led to the blast that killed 15 and injured about 200 others.
 
Investigators determined that the fire that led to the powerful explosion was caused either by a battery-powered golf cart that was kept in the fertilizer and seed building in which the fire started, the building’s 120-volt electrical system or by an intentional criminal act.

Investigators recovered only a brake pad and an axle from the golf cart, which was not enough to allow them to determine whether the cart’s battery could have ignited the fire, but officials said there’s precedent for that happening.

Investigators determined the fire was not caused by spontaneous ignition, an earlier fire, a problem with the plant’s 480-volt electrical system that powered heavy equipment, anhydrous ammonia, ammonium nitrate, smoking or the weather, officials said.

As much as 64 tons of ammonium nitrate was stored in the building, 28 to 34 tons of which exploded, investigators said.

An additional 20 to 30 tons in the building and another 100 tons in a nearby rail car did not explode, they said.

In May the Department of Public Safety announced that DPS Director Steven McCraw had directed the Texas Rangers to join the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office in launching a criminal investigation of the blast.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/texas/more-tests-to-solve-west-explosion-not-until-2014/nZcdx/
Fire marshal: Inspections refused since West blast
August 26, 2013

AUSTIN, Texas — Five facilities in Texas with large quantities of the same fertilizer chemical that fueled the deadly plant explosion in West have turned away state fire marshal inspectors since the blast, investigators said Monday.
A railway operator that hauls hazardous materials across Texas was also said to have rebuffed a state request to share data since the April explosion at West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 people and injured 200 others. The company denied that Monday.
Regulators and state lawmakers at a hearing about the still-unsolved explosion were intrigued by the lack of cooperation. State Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said "well, sure" when asked whether those facilities refusing to admit inspectors raised concern.
"In their defense, they may have a very good reason," Connealy said.
There is no state fire code in Texas. The state fire marshal's office lacks the power to make unannounced inspections of local businesses or compel facilities to open its doors.
After the West explosion intensified scrutiny of Texas businesses that store ammonium nitrate, Connealy's office sought to inspect about 150 facilities that keep more than 10,000 pounds of the potentially volatile chemical.
Testifying to the House Committee on Homeland Security and Public Safety, Connealy said about 60 inspections are complete and the rest should be done by October. He said he did not know why five facilities wouldn't let inspectors inside.
"They just didn't want the fire marshal to come on the property," he said.
Connealy declined to name the facilities, saying he didn't immediately know whether he could make that information public.
Democratic state Rep. Joe Pickett, chairman of the House committee, said the state has seen little pushback from the private sector since the blast.
"At this point, today, I would say that any resistance is more just fear of the unknown than anybody trying to hide or cover up some situation like West," Pickett said. "I would believe if somebody thought they had something that was really dangerous, the only reason they would say no was to get it fixed that day."
The state Department of Health Services is allowed to make unannounced visits at the facilities, though to collect different information. Kathryn Perkins, an assistant commissioner in the agency's regulatory division, said fire marshal inspectors can accompany her agency on those trips but acknowledged they could still be turned away.
"It'd be interesting to see if that happens," Perkins said.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/news/lawmakers-address-west-explosion
Lawmakers address West explosion
August 26, 2013

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It has been two months since a Texas House panel tasked the State Fire Marshal's Office to come up with a plan to help prevent another explosion like the one at the West Fertilizer Company this spring.

Fire Marshal Chris Connealy says the assignment was challenging, because his office has some major limitations.
"When you're looking at fire code enforcement, you need a fire code,” said Connealy during a follow-up hearing on Monday.

But the state does not have one.

"So you don't have the authority to go in and require inspection,” Rep. Kenneth Sheets, R-Dallas, said to Connealy.

And counties are not required to have their own fire marshals either. Those that can afford them have the authority to inspect chemical manufacturers, distributors and storage sites.

"County fire marshals…do have the authority,” Connealy said. “Most counties in Texas do not have a county fire marshal."

Including McClennan County, where West is located. Unless the legislature changes the rules, Connealy said he has no choice but to ask chemical sites to allow his office to inspect them voluntarily.

So far, 62 have agreed, but five have said no.

“By far, most of them are wanting us on their property,” he said. “They want the information and assistance, and we will continue moving in that direction."

Connealy said his office still has to inspect about 150 sites, and it expects to wrap up sometime in October. Then in November, it will launch a new website to let Texans know how close their homes are to those locations.

In response to the West explosion, President Barack Obama issued an executive order earlier this month. It tasks federal agencies to review safety rules at chemical plants.

The President said he wants agencies to look at new ways to safely store ammonium nitrate, the explosive that caused the West explosion.

The State Fire Marshal's Office said it will also know more about firefighters' response before the explosion sometime early next year. It is called a "line of duty" report - something required after a firefighter dies in the line of duty.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/West-High-takes-the-field-for-1st-football-game-since-plant-explosion-221746121.html
West High takes the field for 1st football game since plant explosion
Posted on August 29, 2013 at 11:31 PM
Updated yesterday at 12:10 AM

[MuffyBee]

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/football-returns-texas-town-hit-plant-blast
FOOTBALL RETURNS TO TEXAS TOWN HIT BY PLANT BLAST
By NOMAAN MERCHANT
— Aug. 29 10:59 PM EDT

[MuffyBee]

Does this mean much, if anything any time soon?   

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/breaking-news/feds-issue-new-safety-guidelines-for-handling-fert/nZhnx/
Feds issue new safety guidelines for handling fertilizer that caused West explosion
August 30, 2013

Federal officials Friday issued new safety guidelines for the handling and storage of ammonium nitrate, the chemical that caused a devastating explosion in April at a fertilizer plant in West.
The recommendations do not yet have the force of federal regulations. But the safety advisory, jointly issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, would be the first step toward plugging the gap in regulatory oversight of ammonium nitrate, a normally stable fertilizer that can become highly combustible under the right conditions.
They could also be a prelude to requiring companies which handle the chemical to submit risk management plans that inform the public of the potential hazards. More than 10 years ago, the U.S. Chemical Safety Board recommended the EPA include such reactive chemicals in its risk management program. At a congressional hearing in June, U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., criticized officials of the agency for having failed to do so.
In making its recommendations, the advisory cites “lessons learned” from major industrial accidents worldwide involving ammonium nitrate, including the West explosion, which resulted in 15 deaths and damaged hundreds of buildings. For instance, it warns against storing the chemical in combustible structures or near dust-producing organic materials such as grain and seeds; both hazards existed at West Fertilizer prior to the blast.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.news-journal.com/news/state/west-set-to-hold-st-westfest-since-blast/article_6f5dc828-d195-5e49-8c29-44efaa739459.html
West set to hold 1st Westfest since blast
August 31, 2013

WEST (AP) — The town of West has thrown open the annual celebration of its Czech heritage — the first Westfest since a deadly fertilizer plant explosion tore through the small Central Texas community.
The festival, which opened Friday and runs through Sunday, will proceed as usual this year with few reminders of the explosion that killed 15 people in April.
There will be a brief moment of silence, and first-responders who died in the explosion will be recognized as honorary grand marshals in the Saturday parade, but organizers hope to stick to Westfest traditions that have stayed more or less the same for decades.
Attendees can listen to a polka band, watch traditional dances or try their hand at a kolache bake-off. There will also be plenty of sausages, beer-bread sandwiches, sauerkraut and pivo, Czech for beer.
The festival, in its 38th year, not only brings business to West, but it also serves as a nonprofit event that reinvests in local organizations. Local groups apply for funding, and money made at the festival goes into a pool. Then the funds are given out to chosen applicants. Depending on the year, anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 has been spread among community organizations, Hurtick said.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.westfest.com/

[MuffyBee]

"Rules" or "Guidelines" ?


http://www.kvue.com/news/221925051.html
New rules for chemical storage in wake of West explosion
August 31, 2013


Credit: WFAA
News 8 observed a truck driver unloading 25 tons of potentially explosive ammonium nitrate at a nondescript wooden building just one block away from the town square in Athens, Texas.

The federal government has released new guidelines for ammonium nitrate storage, fallout from April's deadly explosion in West, Texas.
One measure: Businesses should not store the chemical fertilizer in fire-prone wooden bins.
News 8 investigations uncovered two Texas facilities storing ammonium nitrate that way, one in Athens and another in Emory.
 

[MuffyBee]

15 of the LTRC's 441 "clients have completed that process".  Why is that?  What's the bottle neck? 

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-relief-officials-prepare-to-release-funds/article_b72a7858-9873-5fad-96ba-86ac53d0e9ca.html
West relief officials prepare to release funds
September 1, 2013

Officials with the West Long-Term Recovery Center say they are close to beginning the distribution of nearly 
$4 million in donations, but most victims aren’t yet in a position to receive those funds.
The nonprofit agency has created an “unmet needs” committee to consider individual cases and is nearly 
done drafting policies for how to parcel out the money.
The Waco Foundation transferred its remaining $1.7 million to the recovery center last week. Soon, center officials expect to get more than $2 million from bank accounts in West overseen by the Catholic Diocese of Austin.
Long-term recovery center executive director Karen Bernsen said the distributions to victims could start as early as mid-September, but the timeline is not yet firm.
Agency officials will participate in a town hall meeting on the recovery process at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the West Community Center, 205 Tokio Road.
In the last few months, case managers with the United Methodist Committee on Relief have been working with victims to help them determine and document their need for recovery assistance. But so far only 15 of the LTRC’s 411 clients have completed that process, Bernsen said.
That is a challenge for the unmet needs committee, she said, because it only can give out money to victims who have a personal recovery plan approved by the case 
managers.
Bernsen said some residents in West are complaining about the pace of the process, but the West LTRC cannot simply divide up the money among the victims.
“This is what people are screaming about: Why do we have to walk through this muck of bureaucracy?” Bernsen said. “But the rules are in place to maximize the use of our funds.”
The long-term recovery committee has access to about $2 million at West banks in addition to the $1.7 million transferred from the Waco Foundation.
The Waco Foundation had been designated to oversee some $2 million in donated funds for the West recovery effort. The foundation already had set aside about $300,000 for the volunteer fire department.
Distribution process
The Waco Foundation has paid for tax attorneys and accountants to provide advice to the long-term recovery group on the distribution process. Foundation officials said they want to make sure that the distributions meet donor intent and conform with IRS law.
Because the donations are tax-deductible, the agency must have a process to determine need, taking into account victims’ losses as well as their personal financial resources, insurance and available government aid, Waco Foundation executive director Ashley Allison said.
She said the process is going as fast as can be 
expected.
 
Bernsen said it is important to exhaust all other sources of revenue before tapping the general donation fund.
She said if the committee just split the money evenly and handed out checks to 411 victims, each would receive less than $10,000, and that wouldn’t be enough to rebuild West.
“What we’re trying to do is make that stretch as far as it can go,” she said. “The disaster recovery model we’re using has been proven time and time again to be the best practice. It’s not something we created.”
Bernsen said she is encouraging West victims to continue working with the case managers on the slow process of getting qualified for the recovery money.
“That’s what takes the longest time, and it’s very difficult, but case managers are trained to do this,” she said. “It’s not about getting back exactly what you lost, but (getting back to) what is a safe, sanitary and secure situation so you’re going to be OK.”
If you go
What: Town Hall on West recovery effort.
When and where: 7 p.m. Tuesday at the West Community Center, 205 Tokio Road, following 5 p.m. council meeting. Mayor Tommy Muska will preface the town hall discussion with an update on progress of West’s infrastructure recovery.
To participate: Send questions regarding the recovery before the meeting to citysecretary@cityofwest.com

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/widow-of-west-firefighter-receives-new-home-in-waco/article_ffecfb5e-2853-55fc-a621-7120e98240a5.html
Widow of West firefighter receives new home in Waco
August 28, 2013

Donna Beseda has shed a lot of tears since her husband, Doug Snokhous, was killed April 17 fighting the fire at the West Fertilizer Co. plant.
Two days after the massive explosion that also damaged their rent home, Beseda fell and broke her arm in two places. The injury caused more tears of pain and sorrow, leaving her unable to work at her flower shop in West.
But Tuesday brought tears of joy as Waco Mayor Malcolm Duncan Jr. officially welcomed her as a Waco citizen and she accepted the key to her new home. Located in the 2600 block of North 42nd Street, the house was donated by a group of companies that wanted to help someone affected by the West tragedy.
“I was a stranger and y’all have treated me like family,” Beseda said, surrounded in her new living room by representatives of the groups. “Receiving this home is a real blessing and an opportunity for a new start.”
Beseda said she was reluctant at first to leave West, where she and Snokhous lived during their 13 years of 
marriage.
“I really didn’t want to live in Waco, but once I saw this house, it changed my whole idea,” she said. “Then I started crying happy tears after that. Doug was happy every day of his life. Nothing really ever got him down in the dumps. I can be happy like that now living in this house.”
The 1,766-square-foot home is valued at $121,000. It sits on an ivy-covered hill on a large lot that features sprawling oak trees, a swimming pool and a bright-yellow playhouse for the couple’s grandchildren to play in.
Beseda will have no mortgage payments on the home, but will be responsible for paying property taxes, insurance and maintenance.
“This home will allow me to do the grandmother thing, like baking cookies and having the kids over for family events,” she said. “I’m very excited and very grateful for everything everyone has done for me.”
Snokhous, 50, died along with his younger brother, Robert, 48, in the explosion. The close-knit brothers were longtime employees of Central Texas Iron Works in Waco.
 
Beseda’s new home was acquired through a multi-partner nationwide program that donates foreclosed properties to injured first responders, veterans or their families.
Bank of America foreclosed on the home and donated it in partnership with the National Community Stabilization Trust, an organization that works with banks and nonprofit groups to help renovate foreclosed homes and stabilize neighborhoods.
The home was transferred to the Texas State Affordable Housing Corp., a nonprofit company that works with groups to repair foreclosed homes and to find eligible low-to-moderate income buyers.
TSAHC officials joined forces with NeighborWorks Waco and Brooke Community Development, which made about $35,000 worth of renovations to Beseda’s home.
Roy Nash, executive director of NeighborWorks Waco, said he called West Fire Chief Gene Nors, who attended Tuesday’s house-warming ceremony, and asked him to recommend a worthy candidate for the home. He suggested
Beseda.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/frustrations-mount-at-west-town-hall-meeting/article_e9a061a5-c016-5094-b502-0b47f76030af.html
Frustrations mount at West town hall meeting
Posted: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 12:01 am | Updated: 1:10 am, Wed Sep 4, 2013.

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/greater_waco/west/west-isd-officials-discuss-next-steps-for-rebuilding-schools/article_730e01e8-3724-598c-bcd7-f2e409940d79.html
West ISD officials discuss next steps for rebuilding schools
September 12, 2013

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http://www.wacotrib.com/news/courts_and_trials/trial-postponed-for-former-west-paramedic/article_54a18c05-b74f-58e1-b963-93785515f62f.html
Trial postponed for former West paramedic
September 20, 2013


Reed


Former West paramedic Bryce Reed’s trial on charges he possessed materials to make a small pipe bomb has been postponed from Monday to next month.
Reed’s trial now is set for Oct. 15, with a scheduled date of Oct. 10 should Reed, his attorney and federal prosecutors work out a plea agreement.
Reed’s attorney, Jonathan Sibley, said that while he remains in discussions with federal prosecutors, he is preparing for the Oct. 15 trial date.
“I am meeting with my client, reviewing evidence and discovery and preparing for trial at this point,” Sibley said.
Reed, 31, remains free on bail and is living with his parents in North Texas as a condition of his release.
Reed, who was released Aug. 22, had been in custody — in jail or at a federal medical facility — since his arrest May 9.
He was indicted in May for possession of materials to construct a small pipe bomb, weeks after the devastating April 17 fertilizer plant explosion in West.
He faces up to 10 years in a federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Sibley has said since Reed’s arrest that Reed had nothing to do with the fire at West Fertilizer Co. that caused the blast.
McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna said after reviewing a comprehensive Texas Ranger report on Reed that no evidence exists linking Reed to the fire or explosion at the plant.
Federal authorities have declined comment on that. But Reed is charged only with possession of an unregistered destructive device.
A former West paramedic and Abbott volunteer firefighter, Reed has said he helped evacuate residents near the West fertilizer plant before and after the explosion that leveled much of the small town.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/226292091.html
Financial payouts to start in West, but questions persist
October 3, 2013

WEST — The West Long-Term Recovery Center is moving ahead with plans to distribute millions of dollars in private donations that have funneled into the town since a deadly April 17 fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people.
Perhaps as many as 20 families could see a check next week, said John Crowder, who sits on a board that oversees the center.
 
But the timing of the announcement comes as a growing number of West residents are starting to ask pointed questions about why nearly $3.6 million in private donations are yet to be distributed.
"Why has it taken six months to get this money to people?" asked Sharon Rios.
Her mother, Elizabeth Maler, lost her home of nearly 40 years in the blast. Maler has some insurance money, but was still counting on a check from the recovery center.
"I've waited and waited and never heard anything," she said.
Mayor Tommy Muska said he has also heard some complaints, but stressed that the center had to undergo a lengthy process of 501 (c)(3) status approval before it could really start moving.
"It takes time to do it right," Muska said. "It is a relief that next week it could start."
As WFAA reported earlier this summer, the 501 (c)(3) status actually happened months ago, but there were other legal and logistical matters that needed to be ironed out, Crowder said.
On top of that, he says because of IRS regulations, families that have filed for help need to exhaust every penny from FEMA and other resources before getting a check from the center.
Rios said they appreciate the complications, but don't understand why it wasn't handled differently from the get-go.
"Some people have moved on, and it's too late," Rios said.
Details on the criteria for deciding which families receive money — and when — are expected to be announced at a Thursday news conference.
A committee separate from the board of the recovery center is expected to evaluate more than 500 cases, or potential recipients.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/news/texas/senator-shutdown-stops-west-blast-investigations
Senator: Shutdown stops West blast investigations
Also hampering efforts to improve chemical safety
October 9, 2013

DALLAS (AP) — The partial government shutdown is delaying the federal investigation of the fertilizer plant explosion in West and efforts to improve chemical safety, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California said.

Deadlines set by President Barack Obama for Cabinet members and agency heads to review and overhaul regulations, safety practices, data-sharing and emergency response won't be met, Boxer, a Democrat who is chairwoman of the Senate's environment and public works committee, told The Dallas Morning News.

The first deadline, for agencies to submit proposals for improvements, is Nov. 1.

Obama issued his executive order on Aug. 1. The order imposed a series of deadlines and multiple federal agencies had to submit preliminary proposals for improvements.

Boxer said Tuesday those will "definitely be delayed."

The shutdown also is delaying the U.S. Chemical Safety Board's final report on the April 17 blast at the West Fertilizer Co. that killed 15 and injured more than 300 others.

"That explosion is a prime example of the situation we're in now, where the agencies that are supposed to come up with ways to make sure this never happens again just can't meet," she said.

The U.S. Chemical Safety Board, a federal agency that investigates industrial accidents, has furloughed 37 of its 41 employees, chairman Rafael Moure-Eraso said.

Among the furloughed are 10 who remain part of the West inquiry. Moure-Eraso says that as a result, an Oct. 24 meeting between the safety board's staff and West residents is in question. So, too, is the spring 2014 completion date for a final report on the explosion.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wacotrib.com/news/west_explosion/hot-fair-presents-donation-to-west-ffa/article_8571ba4a-a33b-539e-b320-59b1e2db1f22.html
HOT Fair presents $5,000 donation to West FFA
October 9, 2013

West FFA experienced the “heart” part of the Heart O’ Texas Fair & Rodeo firsthand Wednesday when it received a donation from the fair to rebuild an agricultural barn that was destroyed in the April 17 West Fertilizer Co. explosion.
Fair officials presented a $5,000 check to West FFA during Wednesday’s rodeo to use toward a new barn, which would accommodate student shop projects.
Wednesday also served as West Night at the rodeo, which allowed West residents to receive discounted admission.
“We discussed it amongst our board and felt like that’s where we, as an organization, would be most helpful because of the fact that we are an agricultural-based and scholarship-based (organization),” said Wes Allison, executive director of the Extraco Events Center, which organizes the fair.
 
Tim Sullins, an agricultural sciences teacher and co-director of the West FFA program, said a new barn is needed to give students lab experience in various mechanical and skilled trades, such as welding, plumbing, small-engine repair and carpentry.
The previous agricultural shop sat behind the high school and included two classrooms, a computer lab and an open-air workshop. The shop had also been used to allow students to groom and prepare livestock for show, Sullins said.
 
Around 245 students are in the West FFA program. Sullins said classes now are limited to a portable classroom, which does not allow enough room for lab exercises.
 
The donation supports a larger statewide fundraising drive to boost the West FFA.
The Texas FFA Foundation in the summer set up a fund to collect donations to rebuild the West barn. That fund held $90,500 as of last week, Sullins said.
Sullins said a new barn structure will be installed later this month at the site of the former West Intermediate School, which had to be demolished this summer because of the damage from the explosion.
Some of the donations will be used for the barn, which is being provided at a discount from Houston-based Rigid Global Buildings, while the remaining funds will help purchase new equipment to replace items destroyed in the shop. Sullins did not know the cost of the new barn.
Ideally, once West rebuilds a new high school and agricultural science area, the new barn will become a transportation maintenance facility for the district, Sullins said. West lost its school buses and storage barns during the explosion, which damaged or destroyed three of the district’s four schools.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/ap/ap/labor/texas-fertilizer-plant-cited-for-safety-lapses/nbKyH/
Texas fertilizer plant cited for safety lapses
October 10, 2013

WASHINGTON — The Texas company that operated a fertilizer plant where a thunderous explosion in April killed 15 people is facing $118,300 in fines for two dozen serious safety violations, including a failure to have an emergency response plan, federal officials said Thursday.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said West Fertilizer Co. committed violations that included unsafe handling and storage of two fertilizers, anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate. The facility, which OSHA had not inspected since 1982, was also cited for inadequate labeling of storage tanks, failing to pressure test replacement hoses and not having respiratory protection or appropriate fire extinguishers.
The agency issued the citations Wednesday, but due to the government shutdown, they were not disclosed until Thursday, when Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., announced them in a conference call with reporters.
Dan Keeney, a spokesman for the West Fertilizer Co., said the company's lawyers were reviewing the citations and proposed fine. The company has 15 days to pay the fine or file an administrative appeal with OSHA. OSHA's proposed penalties could be reduced.
"Based on what they see so far, it doesn't appear that the violations that are alleged have anything to do with the accident, but they're still reviewing it," he said.
There is a separate state criminal investigation underway, too. Investigators previously narrowed the number of possible causes to three: a problem with one of the plant's electrical systems, a battery-powered golf cart, and a criminal act. They ruled out others, including a rail car on site loaded with fertilizer or someone smoking.
 
The mayor of West, Tommy Muska, said OSHA's citations were inadequate. He blamed the agency for failing to inspect the facility since the early 1980s and said the violations announced Thursday are like "shutting the door after the cow is already out."
Had the facility been inspected every five years, for example, instead of every 30, some of the problems might have been discovered ahead of time, and the explosion and deaths could have been prevented, Muska said. He noted that many rural communities have similar plants either near or in downtown areas. In May, The Associated Press drew on public records in 28 states and found more than 120 facilities within a potentially devastating blast zone of schoolchildren, the elderly and the sick. More than a half-dozen states, including Ohio, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho and South Carolina, refused to provide information to the AP about dangerous facilities, citing the risk of terrorist attacks and their interpretations of federal law.
Fertilizer plants need a closer look, Muska said. "We can be Monday morning quarterbacks all year long, but what we really need to do is try to prevent this," he said.
 

[MuffyBee]

http://www.wfaa.com/news/texas-news/227244851.html
West ex-EMS to plead guilty in pipe bomb case
October 10, 2013

WACO, Texas (AP) — A former West paramedic is expected to plead guilty after being accused of collecting materials for a pipe bomb, in a case unrelated to the deadly fertilizer plant explosion.
Bryce Ashley Reed is scheduled to appear in Waco federal court Thursday afternoon. Reed's attorney, Jonathan Sibley, says he's reached a plea agreement with prosecutors.
The 31-year-old Reed was charged with knowingly and unlawfully possessing a destructive device
 
But authorities have never said Reed had any criminal responsibility for the blast.
A criminal complaint accuses Reed of leaving the pipe bomb materials with a friend who called authorities.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/news/state-regional-govt-politics/former-paramedic-pleads-guilty-in-pipe-bomb-case/nbLSN/
Former paramedic pleads guilty in pipe bomb case
October 10, 2013
 
In a deal with prosecutors, Bryce Ashley Reed pleaded guilty in federal court in Waco to one count of conspiracy to make a destructive device and another count of attempting to obstruct justice, according to court documents. The agreement heads off an Oct. 15 trial for Reed.
The 31-year-old former West paramedic was never linked by authorities to any criminal responsibility for the April 17 blast in his close-knit hometown where he is well-known. The explosion at West Fertilizer Co. killed 15 people, including 10 first responders and two others volunteering to fight an initial fire.
But his arrest and the allegations leveled by federal authorities shook West. In the days immediately after the blast, he told victims’ families and residents that they were safe and offered information about what had happened, even as federal and state authorities declined to answer many questions and other first responders clammed up.
Days after his May 9 arrest, it came out that Reed had been dismissed from his volunteer position as a West firefighter. The family of a firefighter who died in the blast, Cyrus Reed, would disavow Bryce Reed’s claims — in interviews and at a public memorial — that the two men were like brothers, either in blood or in friendship.
A criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives accused Reed of giving a metal pipe, chemical powders and other materials to an unknown person who contacted authorities.
The federal arrest prompted state and local authorities to open their own criminal investigation. But neither federal nor state authorities have accused anyone of committing a crime related to the explosion.
The Texas State Fire Marshal and the ATF declared the cause of the blast as “undetermined” one month after it happened. They said they could narrow the number of possible causes to three: a problem with an electrical system, a battery-powered golf cart and a criminal act.