M'miyezi iwiri ndi theka kuchokera pamene kuphulika ku West, Texas, malo osungiramo feteleza anasiya anthu 12 oyambirira atamwalira ndipo anthu osachepera 200 anavulala, zinthu ziwiri zawonekera. Tsokalo likanapewedwa ngati malamulo oyenerera akadakhalapo ndikutsatiridwa - ndipo mabungwe aboma ndi aboma sakuwoneka kuti akufulumira kuyika malamulowo kapena kuwakakamiza.
Texas, yomwe nyengo yake yosasamala idawunikiridwa pambuyo pa kuphulika kwa West, idalowa nawo gawo lapadera la nyumba yamalamulo ya boma Lolemba kukankhira lamulo lochotsa mimba la omnibus lokonzedwa kuti liziwongolera zipatala 37 zochotsa mimba kuti zisakhalepo. Koma gawo la 2013 lifika kumapeto popanda kuchitapo kanthu kuti akhazikitse chitetezo pa 74 zipangizo m'chigawo chomwe chili ndi mapaundi 10,000 a ammonium nitrate.
Opanga malamulo ku Austin ali ndi chowiringula chothandizira kutsatira malamulo atsopano a feteleza: Izi zitha kukhala zosokoneza. Senema wa boma Donna Campbell, waku Republican yemwe adathandizira kutseka Senema wa Democratic Wendy Davis pabilu yochotsa mimba pazifukwa za njira, adauza a New York Times kuti opanga malamulo ayenera kusamala poyang'anira zomera za mankhwala mosamala kwambiri chifukwa pali "nthawi yomwe mungathe kuwongolera."
Monga momwe kafukufuku wokhudza kuphulika kwa Kumadzulo awonetsa, komabe, kuwongolera kwambiri sikungakhale pachiwopsezo ku Texas. Tsokalo linali lodziwikiratu chifukwa cha kuchepa kwa malamulo omwe analipo komanso kuchepa kwake. Kuyambira pa Epulo 17 tinaphunzira kuti:
-
Dipatimenti ya Texas Department of State Health Services, yomwe imatsata kusungidwa kwa mankhwala oopsa, limati ndizoletsedwa kuwongolera mankhwalawo komanso kuti malamulo aliwonse azichokera kwa akuluakulu aboma. Kupatulaโฆ
-
Kumadzulo kuli ku McLennan County, komwe, ngati 70 peresenti Maboma m'boma, anali oletsedwa mwalamulo kutengera malamulo awo ozimitsa moto mpaka 2010, pomwe idafika pachiwopsezo cha anthu ambiri. Iwo sanatero adatengera chimodzi kuyambira pamenepo.
-
Texas ndi imodzi mwazabwino mayiko anayi popanda miyezo yapadziko lonse yachitetezo chamoto ndi kusungirako pamalo opangira mankhwala.
-
Popanda zopinga za zizindikiro zamoto, West Fertilizer Co. inasunga ammonium nitrate m'mabokosi amatabwa ndi analibe ngakhale makina okonkha.
-
Kuchuluka kwa misonkho yapadziko lonse kumatanthauza kuti ngakhale ataloledwa kukhala ndi zizindikiro zamoto, madipatimenti ambiri akumidzi aku Texas ali. osakwanitsa zida zofunika polimbana ndi moto pamalo opangira mankhwala omwe ali mosagwirizana m'maboma akumidzi.
-
Kampaniyo sanadziwitse Okonza zakumaloko za kukhalapo kwa mankhwala owopsa pamalopo mpaka 2012 - patadutsa zaka zisanu ndi chimodzi lamulo la federal likadawakakamiza kuti atero - ndipo ozimitsa moto odzipereka mtawuniyi sanauzidwepo momwe angachitire ndi moto pamalopo. Wozimitsa moto wina anayesa kuyang'ana zambiri pa foni yake ya smartphone ali panjira yopita kumoto koma adalephera.
-
Malingaliro a kampani West Fertilizer Co.chochitika choyipa kwambiri chomasulidwa," malinga ndi zikalata zoperekedwa ku Environmental Protection Agency, sizinalole kuti pakhale moto kapena kuphulika.
-
Tsambali silinawunikenso ndi Occupational Safety and Health Administration kuyambira 1985, pamene, atapeza "zolakwa zazikulu" zisanu, kampaniyo inalipiritsidwa $ 30. (Ndizo $64.95 mu madola amasiku ano.) Kutsalira kwa zaka 28 pakati pa kuyendera sikuli koipa kwambiri, poganizira kuti OSHA ili ndi mphamvu yoyang'ana malo aliwonse a mankhwala ku US kamodzi zaka 129 zilizonse.
-
West Fertilizer Co inshuwalansi kwa $1 miliyoni yokha, the kuchuluka komweko za chiwongola dzanja chomwe boma likufuna kwa oyendetsa nyumba. Komabe, izi zinali $1 miliyoni kuposa zomwe boma limafunikira posungiramo mankhwala.
-
Malowa anali kusunga mankhwala ophulika omwe satero ziyenera kukhala zophulika.
-
Idachepetsa kuchuluka kwa zida zophulika zomwe zidasungidwa pamalopo ndi mapaundi 56,000 (kapena pafupifupi 50 peresenti).
-
Kampaniyo sanatero gwirani ntchito ndi dipatimenti yoona zachitetezo cha kwawo kuti ikhazikitse njira zachitetezo monga momwe malamulo aboma amafunira, komanso DHS sinayiuzepo kutero. Idapereka chidziwitso pazomwe zaphulika patsambali ku dipatimenti ya zaumoyo ku Texas, koma bungweli silinapereke zambiri ku DHS, komanso silinafunikire kutero.
-
West Fertilizer Co. inalibe alonda, makina a alamu, kapena mipanda yozungulira ngakhale kuti inali malo osungiramo zida zophulitsira bwino, ndi anali ataberedwa maulendo 11 (mwina ndi opanga meth) m'zaka 12.
-
Panthawi yomweyi, apolisi adayankhapo malipoti asanu osiyanasiyana okhudza kutulutsa kwa ammonia kuchokera pamalowo.
-
M'zaka 11 kuchokera pamene bungwe la US Chemical Safety Board linavomereza kuti EPA iyang'anire ammonium nitrate, gwero la moto wa West, bungweli lakhala likuchita bwino. sanasunthe kutero. Sizikuphatikizidwa pamndandanda wamankhwala owopsa a bungweli, ndipo kuwonjezera apo, sizikuphatikizidwanso pamndandanda wa Texas.
-
Malowa anali pafupi ndi 3,000 mapazi kuchokera ku masukulu awiri ndi malo okhalamo wandiweyani ndipo palibe malamulo a federal kapena boma pamabuku omwe akanalepheretsa kuyandikira.
Mwa kuyankhula kwina, pali zipatso zambiri zotsika kwambiri zomwe opanga malamulo aku Texas angachite kuti aletse a West West. Ndipo komabe, pambuyo pa kuphulika, dziko la Texas latenga chimodzimodzi chimodzi sitepe yeniyeni yoletsa masoka amtsogolo kuti asadzachitike: Yakhazikitsa tsamba lomwe limalola anthu kudziwa ngati m'dera lawo muli mankhwala. Ndi chidziwitso chomwe chiyenera kupezeka kwa anthu, koma sichiyenera kusokonezedwa ndi sitepe yomwe imapangitsa kuti zomerazo zikhale zotetezeka.
The Texas state fire marshal adadzipereka kuti apereke malingaliro odzifunira abwino kwa zigawo zopanda zizindikiro zamoto, ndikuwunikanso zida zama mankhwala - kachiwiri, mwaufulu - ngati eni ake akufuna, koma zotsatira zake zimalepheretsedwa chifukwa madera akumidzi, komwe malo ambiri opangira mankhwala ali, akuletsedwabe pansi pa malamulo aku Texas kuti akhazikitse zizindikiro zamoto. Bili yomwe ikanathetsa chiletsocho, chomwe Gov. Rick Perry anakana kuthandizira, sichinapite kulikonse. Sizikuganiziridwa pa gawo lapadera.
Opanga malamulo adalankhulanso zonena kuti malowa ikani zizindikiro zina kudziwitsa anthu za kupezeka kwa mankhwala omwe angakhale owopsa pafupi.
Mawu okhawo akumadzulo ku West kuchokera kwa opanga malamulo apamwamba m'boma mwezi watha adadza pomwe bungwe la Federal Emergency Management Agency linakana pempho la Texas la $ 17 miliyoni pothandizira tsoka pa tsokali silinachite chilichonse kuletsa chifukwa Texas ili ndi ndalama zochitira. kulipira. (Ndipo zimatero - thumba la tsiku lamvula la Texas liyenera kugunda $ Biliyoni 8 pa 2015.)
Mwinamwake ngati ochirikiza kusankha akufunadi kuletsa Texas kuwongolera zipatala angoyamba kuzitcha "zomera za feteleza."
Tim Murphy ndi mtolankhani ku Mayi Jones. Mtumizireni imelo malangizo ndi zidziwitso pa tmurphy [at] motherjones [dot] com.
ZNetwork imalandira ndalama kudzera mu kuwolowa manja kwa owerenga ake.
Ndalama