Chemical Plants Don't Matter???

I found this article in the Charleston Gazette last week

Chemical Plant Security Directives Dropped From Bill
By Tom Searls
Staff writer

Legislation forcing chemical plants to meet government-required security standards was stripped from the House of Representatives and Senate conferees’ proposal Monday, Sen. Robert C. Byrd’s office announced.

Byrd, D-W.Va., had successfully added an amendment to the Senate version of the bill directing the federal Department of Homeland Security to work with chemical companies on ways to ensure their facilities are better protected from terrorist strikes. Chemical industry representatives enlisted the help of Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, in a successful attempt to rid the legislation of any language forcing the companies to comply.

The rest of this article can be found at www.wvgazette.com

According to this article, the chemical industry does not want the Feds to protect their facilities. This is because the chemical companies have determined that they should spend the money in accordance to what they think needs to be done and how. Some chemical facilities are vulnerable to attacks from terrorists and "terrorists."

Where I live here in WV, chemical plants dot the valley. The number of chemical plants here has went down substantially since the 1970s, but it's still a worry to us. Some of the chemicals that are produces here are some of the deadliest in the United States.

I think it has less to do with the companies' wanting better money management than it's just big business making more money. The directives would have forced companies to adopt security and safety policies which they would have needed to pay for, but forcing this bit out of the legislation allows them to retain control over their profits.

Either way, says a lot about "homeland security", and the republican party in general when it comes to big business.

Why'd I vote for Bush twice again?

I forgot to add to the original post that you need to register to view the article. That mistake is on my part.

Originally posted by gimmefootball400
Some of the chemicals that are produces here are some of the deadliest in the United States.

Followed closely by us here in Delaware. The sick joke here is that the water isn't really water .. it's all chemicals from DuPont etc etc.

Seriously, I found the information disturbing. It's bad enough having all these refineries and chemicals surrounding us and lining the Delaware River .. now they won't be protected.

Gawd .. we've gotta' move ...

For those interested, I found this link to the article:
Chemical Plant Security Directives Dropped From Bill