Chemical+Plant+says+Officials+expect+more+fires+at+flooded+Texas+plant

USA Today August 31st, 2017 (Accessed on September 13th, 2017) []
 * Chemical plant: Officials expect more fires at flooded Texas plant **

Summary: The article above was about the chemical plant, Arkema, in Crosby, Texas having several issues with their refrigeration of organic peroxides in large tankers on site at the plant. Due to Hurricane Harvey, the plant’s 4 layers of protection (including standard refrigeration, backup generators, liquid nitrogen and cooled tankers) were compromised by the intense flooding of the major storm. They fully expect that the several tankers full of organic peroxide are going to overheat, explode and burn a very hot and intense fire that could be dangerous as the smoke is a eye and lung irritant. A major concern is that over the next few days as the tanks are expected to explode and the smoke released could affect the general population around the plant and impact their health. Officials have decided to place a mandatory 1.5 mile evacuation to combat the issue and the company hopes to get in there and fix the problem.

Relation to Class: In AP Environmental Science this article is extremely related to what we do in class, mainly with the evaluation of practices and activities for risk assessment and management. Risk Assessment involves identifying hazards and evaluating their associated risks while Risk Management includes determining options and making decisions about reducing or eliminating risks (Miller 458). These two things tie in with the article because as the Earth continues to change and weather patterns begin to become or erratic the human race will need to be smarter about the placement and actions of some activities, like chemical plants. For example assessing the risk of having the Arkema chemical plant in a location that we now know floods very badly during hurricanes may lead to the management of this risk by developing better technology to mitigate storm damages or just moving the plant all together. These two things though in general are incredibly important because they help to keep the safety of people and the environment in mind and safe.

Opinion: I personally think that the people who live in Crosby were very lucky this time with the chemical plant and the organic peroxides in the tankers probably could have made a much bigger problem than what happened at this time. In the future something needs to be done so the lives of people who live there will not be impacted this by again. These events provide us with amazing opportunities to reevaluate what we do and how we do it when it comes to the environment and human safety from hazardous materials. I hope that with time and research, there can be a plan to help minimize the risk of things like this happening in the future. Also just a side note why would somebody put a chemical plant near the coastline? Just a question.

Law: The law that makes the most sense with this current event article is the National Environmental Policy Act of 1970 which requires comprehensive evaluation of the environmental impact of an activity before it is undertaken by a federal agency. Essentially this law makes it so that people and companies cannot just be willy nilly with whatever activity they want to do, they have to see how it will impact the environment. (A part of this would be disaster risk assessment as well because not everyday is the nicest day.)

The Arkema Inc. chemical plant is flooded from Tropical Storm Harvey, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2017, in Crosby, Texas. (Photo: Godofredo A. Vasquez, AP)

Citation: Madhani, Aamer, and KHOU-TV Staff. "Arkema Chemical Plant in Crosby, Near Houston, Expects More Fires." USA TODAY, USA Today, 31 Aug. 2017, www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/08/31/explosions-chemical-plant/619533001/#. Accessed 14 Sept. 2017.