US environmental regulators probe Arkema chemical plant after explosions

WASHINGTON: USenvironmental regulators are investigating whether the Arkema chemical plant in Texas followed safety rules ahead of explosions last month caused by flooding from Hurricane Harvey, according to media reports.

The Environmental Protection Agency has asked the company whether it followed risk management plans submitted to the government ahead of the explosions at the plant, which began on Aug 31, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt told the Washington Examiner.

Unprecedented flooding from Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in southeast Texas on Aug 26, cut power and knocked out backup generators at the plant — disabling the refrigeration required to prevent volatile organic peroxides from exploding.

Authorities had already evacuated an area within a 2.4 kilometre radius of the plant. But emergency workers who responded to the explosions have since sued the plant’s operators for exposing them to smoke.

“There is some question about whether the RMP that was in place was actually complied with,” Pruitt told Washington Examiner, referring to a risk management plan. The Sept7 letter gave Arkema 10 days to answer to EPA queries.

The EPA wants to determine what quantity of chemical substances were stored at the plant and what safety measures had been taken in advance of possible flooding and power loss. — AFP