Koch Brothers Are Largest Owners of Fertilizer Businesses - No Need to Worry About Regulations

[JPZenger]

http://www.fair.org/blog/2013/04/26/texas-fertilizer-plant-disaster-little-coverage-much-of-it-wrong/

The link is to a good discussion about how most of the media have incorrectly the issues involving federal regulation of fertilizer businesses. Excerpt:

"....And if the news media communicates to the general public what's going on, then that can give some help — protective cover — to government officials who want to do something.

Let's take a look at the Texas case that we're talking about. You’ve got the governor saying everything's fine, don't look here. You've got all the business owners and managers in Texas saying everything is fine, don’t look here. You know who the largest owner of fertilizer business in the world is?

...... The Koch brothers. So you've got the Koch brothers, who are the largest business owners of the business, lobbying — using their efforts — to deregulate even more of the fertilizer business. And not have everyone knows how dangerous it is. You have all of that power coming at you, especially when you can make unlimited campaign contributions. So unless the public knows something is wrong, you've got nothing to countervail that. I mean, the Koch brothers, in many ways, are more powerful than the president of the United States."
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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-04-24/watchdogs-warned-of-chemical-plant-oversight-before-blast.html

Here's an in-depth article about the broader issue of dangers from chemical plants, including from terrorism.

Excerpt:

"Since a chemical leak in Bhopal, India, in 1984 that killed about 3,800 people, environmental groups, unions and safety groups have pushed the U.S. to tighten oversight of chemical production and storage facilities. While they pressed for the proposals after the 2001 terrorist attacks in New York, legislation never passed in Congress.

Instead, a patchwork of programs operates under separate departments, each with its own objectives, congressional oversight and constraints.

The Department of Homeland Security’s chemical security program drew increased congressional scrutiny after an internal memo detailing problems with the program surfaced in 2011, according to Stephen Caldwell, a director who oversees the agency for the Government Accountability Office. At the current pace, it could take years to review all the plans and conduct needed inspections, Caldwell said at the March congressional hearing, according to his written testimony. "

[JPZenger]

1. The Koch Brothers Bill Would Make It Harder for Feds to Regulate Chemical Plant Hazards

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/04/how-chemical-lobby%E2%80%99s-friends-congress-fought-keep-regulators-its-back

Excerpt:

"... the explosion at the Texas, fertilizer plant ...was made possible by an ultra-lax state and federal oversight climate that make inspections of such facilities all but a rubber-stamp process—when they even happen. If the chemical lobby and its allies in Congress get their way, a regulatory process dismissed by environmental activists and labor unions as extremely weak would be watered down even more.

In February, 11 congressmen—10 Republicans and one Democrat—joined some two dozen industry groups, including the Fertilizer Institute, the American Chemistry Council, and the International Institute of Ammonia Refrigeration, to back the General Duty Clarification Act. The bill is designed to sap the Environmental Protection Agency of its powers to regulate safety and security at major chemical sites, as prescribed by the Clean Air Act.

"We call that the Koch brothers bill," Greenpeace legislative director Rick Hind says, because the bill's sponsor, GOP Rep. Mike Pompeo, represents the conservative megadonors' home city of Wichita, Kansas. (The sponsor of the sister legislation in the senate, GOP Sen. Pat Roberts, represents the Kochs' home state of Kansas.) The brothers have huge investments in fertilizer production, and Hind thinks they'll ultimately get what they want, whether or not the bill becomes law. "It's not necessarily intended to achieve legislative passage—it's more about intimidation of a beleaguered agency."

[HiPointDem]

2. kr. i wonder if there's any link between their deregulatory pressures and the action in West TX?

[DURHAM D]

3. Koch Fertilizer LLC

http://www.kochfertilizer.com/