A Year After West Blast, Support for Chemical Safety Reform Uncertain

"A year after the West Fertilizer explosion, the nation is taking its first steps to repair the failed system for preventing chemical accidents. But whether the fixes will work, or even become reality, remains to be seen. Sen. Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate environment and public works committee, noted the disaster’s first anniversary with a call for action.

“As we remember the devastating chemical explosion that happened one year ago in West, Texas, we must not forget that more needs to be done to prevent similar tragedies from occurring,” the California Democrat said in a statement.

However, it’s unclear whether the West explosion, which killed 15 people and injured hundreds more, has spurred a broader political demand for chemical safety reform. That was one lesson from the first congressional discussions of the Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed budget for fiscal 2015."

Randy Lee Loftis reports for the Dallas Morning News April 21, 2014.