Texas prohibits nearly 70 percent of its counties from having a fire code

[LeftInTX]

By RANDY LEE LOFTIS
Environmental Writer
[e-mail]
Published: 25 May 2013 11:17 PM
Updated: 26 May 2013 12:48 PM

Victoria County, a little slice of the Texas chemical coast, has nearly 39 million pounds of concoctions that can poison and nearly 11 million pounds that can catch fire.

“A potential for a catastrophic event” is how one federal agency described the risk if they leak. A temptation for terrorists, added another.

But Victoria County cannot use a firefighter’s basic tool for preventing industrial disaster: a fire code.

Texas won’t let the county adopt one.

In piney-woods southeast Texas, nearly 250,000 people within 25 miles of a paper mill could breathe chlorine or chlorine-dioxide gas after a worst-case fire or accident. Some could die.

Much more at link: http://www.dallasnews.com/news/west-explosion/investigation/20130525-texas-prohibits-nearly-70-percent-of-its-counties-from-having-a-fire-code.ece

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Dallas Morning News coverage of the West Fertilizer explosion has been excellent.

[Buzz Clik]

1. Some leftover garbage. Texas needs to fix that.

[Agnosticsherbet]

2. Corporate profit safety must come first in Texas, and

anywhere else the rabid dog right gets control.

[Skittles]

3. read the comments; the ignorance is staggering

[atreides1]

4. Read the comments

Not surprised by the blatant ignorance...it is Texas!!!

[Skittles]

5. well I live here so I know

but I have to say, the Democrats in Texas are true blue - we are a very hardy group, and GROWING

[mountain grammy]

10. You have to be and you're real Texas heros. My 85 year old aunt is one in El Paso

Last year while spending some time in SW Texas, near Midland/Odessa, it was interesting to see the local channel do a Dem/Repub debate.
The Democratic lady was about 70, maybe older and quite feisty, like my aunt who announced to the whole right wing family " I'm an atheist and a Democrat!"

[Skittles]

11. yup

I do think you have to be gutsier to be openly liberal in a red state

[Spitfire of ATJ]

9. The worship of "job creators" as if they are actually divine or at least closer to God is sad.

[underpants]

6. 150 have no full-time fire departments.

0f 254 total

[panzerfaust]

7. Many Texas government districts - city, county - do not allow building codes either

?d=600

[benld74]

8. Its all fun and games until someone loses their life, then nothing is still the norm for Texas

[northoftheborder]

12. Aint Texas advanced????