State acknowledges it had no plan for Freedom spill

[alp227]

Source: Charleston Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- West Virginia emergency planners never put together any strategy for dealing with spills of a toxic chemical from the Freedom Industries' tank farm, despite the facility's location just 1.5 miles upstream from a drinking water intake serving 300,000 people, officials acknowledged this morning.

Local emergency official likewise didn't act to prepare for such an incident, even though they had been warned for years about storage of toxic chemicals so close to the West Virginia American Water plant serving the Kanawha Valley and surrounding region.

"That's just something that's kind of fallen by the wayside," said Larry Zuspan, administrator of the Kanawha-Putnam Emergency Planning Committee.

Every year since at least 2008, Freedom Industries told state and officials that the company's Etowah Terminal stored up to 1 million pounds of "Crude MCHM" at its Elk River facility.

Read more: http://www.wvgazette.com/News/201401140023

[Enrique]

1. "Freedom spill"

[WilliamPitt]

2. In the immortal words of The Doctor:

"I slit my own eyeballs."

Too much bad, stupid news for one day.

[upaloopa]

3. The name alone should tell you something.

If some business has in it's name "freedom" or "heritage" or "patriot" or "amendment"
run for the hills.

[xfundy]

4. But it's FREEDOM!!1!!!

How could it possibly be bad?

[global1]

5. When Will The Dems Get The Blame For This Spill?....

Afterall - WV - has a Dem Guv and two Dem Senators.

[Iliyah]

6. State doesn't have a contingency plan for a chemical spill

that might can happen, oh my. How's that deregulation thingy going and the incompetence of their state government. Right, smaller government larger corporation cause corporations are people tooooooooo.

[jsr]

7. Let the invisible hand do its magic.

[WhiteTara]

8. Freedom to spill

I bet the state lege is red.

[sinkingfeeling]

9. Why should they when that awful federal government will run to their

rescue?

[AzDar]

10. Well...according to the venerable Boehner, " we have enough regulations"....so, suck it up WV.

[freshwest]

11. 'Enlightened self-interest' and the 'free market' will take care of it, as always! Free-dumb!

In case it's needed:

[valerief]

12. Vile, vile assholes. nt