Texas Nears Approval Of New Safety Rules Two Years After ITC Fire
May 26, 2021
The Texas legislature is close to approving Senate Bill 900, which creates new tank standards.
Two years after a disastrous chemical fire broke out at the Intercontinental Terminals Company in Deer Park, Texas, state legislators are nearing approval of new safety standards, according to an article from The Texas Tribune. A leak at a chemical tank farm in 2019 reportedly spurred the chemical fire that spread to nearly a dozen other tanks and caused a plume of smoke to hang over the Houston skyline for three days. The incident resulted in a shelter-in-place order for Deer Park residents, the closure of the Houston Ship Channel and a massive hazardous waste spill.
Senate Bill 900, authored by State Senator Carol Alvarado, D-Houston, sets new standards on large, above ground storage vessels like those involved in the ITC disaster. According to the article, Alvarado spent years negotiating with industry groups on safety standards that would satisfy their most pressing concerns yet not go too far for the state’s powerful oil and gas industry.
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