Texas Ammonium Nitrate Bill Passes Senate, Heads To Governor For Approval

The Texas State Senate gave final approval last Thursday to new regulations for ammonium nitrate, reports The Dallas Morning News reporter Marissa Barnett.

The changes are in response to a 2013 explosion at a fertilizer plant in West that killed 15 people.

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Now it’s left to Gov. Greg Abbott to approve the legislation in order for it to become law.

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“What we’ve done in the bill were the right steps to swing the pendulum to the middle,” Sen. Brian Birdwell, R-Granbury, said describing the balance between protecting health and safety and keeping minimal regulation.

In the short debate, Birdwell emphasized that the changes would not be burdensome to business.

In the aftermath of West, authorities and health and safety experts identified myriad ways a lax and disjointed regulatory system contributed to the explosion. The legislation aims to address some of those issues. But it doesn’t require sprinkler systems or other chemical safety measures recommended after West.

Read the full story on The Dallas Morning News.

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