I'm not talking about rising gasoline pump prices due to gasoline shortage from refineries being shut down; that is temporary and so far not extreme. Rather, it's the toxic chemicals that may cause explosions and fires (as has already happened in Crosby, TX) -- but, even more dangerous, is the risk of harmful chemicals getting spilled into the floodwaters and, eventually, into ground water and drinking water.
The chemical plant that has now caused explosions and fires at least twice now resulted from a kind of substance that has to be kept below a certain temperature. Two levels of control failed to keep the cooling system operating: first, electrical power to the area was lost; then a backup generator was swamped by rising flood waters. There was apparently nothing further that could be done -- but wait for the inevitable results. An area of 1.5 miles surrounding was evacuated. And eventually the temperature rose enough that raging fires emitted thick, densely black, toxic smoke.
That kind of danger is relatively circumscribed. Far more widespread and insidious is the contamination of water -- not just from toxic chemicals actively being used in industry -- but from numerous toxic waste storage sites. For these, nothing like rising temps and fires -- just the seepage of water into the waste dumps, often buried in the ground, then carried out into the general flood waters and into homes and playgrounds.
All while we have a presidential administration that has been busy slashing budgets and cancelling programs to take care of such dangers and the regulations that mitigate the dangers. For Director of the EPA, President Trump choose Scott Pruitt who, as former Oklahoma Attorney General, holds the record for number of lawsuits filed against the Environmental Protection Agency for doing its job. He came into office determined to gut the place, perhaps even shut it down.
As of six days into this epic flood, the EPA had not yet been to the scene to inspect and test for toxic contamination. Perhaps that is better done a bit later, but it doesn't look good. I believe President Obama would have had his EPA Chief on site as soon as possible, if for nothing but to reassure people that his department was on the job of protecting them and their environment.
Ralph
The chemical plant that has now caused explosions and fires at least twice now resulted from a kind of substance that has to be kept below a certain temperature. Two levels of control failed to keep the cooling system operating: first, electrical power to the area was lost; then a backup generator was swamped by rising flood waters. There was apparently nothing further that could be done -- but wait for the inevitable results. An area of 1.5 miles surrounding was evacuated. And eventually the temperature rose enough that raging fires emitted thick, densely black, toxic smoke.
That kind of danger is relatively circumscribed. Far more widespread and insidious is the contamination of water -- not just from toxic chemicals actively being used in industry -- but from numerous toxic waste storage sites. For these, nothing like rising temps and fires -- just the seepage of water into the waste dumps, often buried in the ground, then carried out into the general flood waters and into homes and playgrounds.
All while we have a presidential administration that has been busy slashing budgets and cancelling programs to take care of such dangers and the regulations that mitigate the dangers. For Director of the EPA, President Trump choose Scott Pruitt who, as former Oklahoma Attorney General, holds the record for number of lawsuits filed against the Environmental Protection Agency for doing its job. He came into office determined to gut the place, perhaps even shut it down.
As of six days into this epic flood, the EPA had not yet been to the scene to inspect and test for toxic contamination. Perhaps that is better done a bit later, but it doesn't look good. I believe President Obama would have had his EPA Chief on site as soon as possible, if for nothing but to reassure people that his department was on the job of protecting them and their environment.
Ralph
No comments:
Post a Comment