The people of Crosby, Texas have been told to evacuate if living within a mile radius of the Arkema Inc. chemical plant fire. Residents outside the radius have been instructed to remain indoors with windows shut and turn off air conditioners to avoid breathing the smoke, but Texas authorities prevented the residents from knowing the chemicals and products of such plants. State law enables the industry to evade telling the public about the explosive and toxic chemicals in their towns. (Houston Chronicle, August 31, 2017)
In the current disaster and fire, Arkema officials have refused to provide information about the chemicals at the plant, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality said a list of those chemicals could only be released through a public records request, a request they warned that would be long in coming given the hurricane and its aftermath. First responders are also kept in the dark about the nature of burning chemicals and the layout of the plant. (Huffington Post, September 1, 2017, by Alexander C. Kaufman with contributions from Ryan Grenoble)
The Obama administration was in the process of enacting rules to improve safety, assist first responders and inform the public about chemical hazards, but the Arkema owner and and a trade association mounted an intense campaign to scuttle the rules. On March 14 Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt blocked the Obama initiative. (International Business Times, August 31, 2017, by David Sirota, Alex Kotch, Jay Cassano and Josh Keefe)