>>> LAST NIGHT AT THIS HOUR WE WERE WAITING FOR AN EXPLOSION AT
THE ARKEMA CHEMICAL PLANT IN CROSBY, TEXAS JUST NORTHEAST OF
HOUSTON. THAT PLANT HAS BEEN FLOODED ANT
WITHOUT POWER ON SUNDAY WHEN THE BACKUP GENERATORS FOR SWAMPED.
THEY LOST THE ABILITY TO KEEP THAER CHEMICALS REFRIGERATED.
BECAUSE OF THE CHEMICALS THAT PRODUCE THERE, THERE'S A RISK OF
SPONTANEOUS CHEMICAL REACTION IF THEY'RE NOT KEPT COLD.
WHICH MEANS FIRE AND EXPLOSION. LAST NIGHT BEFORE 1:00 IN THE
MORNING LOCAL TIME THE EXPLOSIONS CAME AND THE FIRE AND
A 30 TO 40-FOOT PLUME OF BLACK SMOKE.
BUT NOW TONIGHT AT THIS HOUR WE'RE WAITING FOR MORE
EXPLOSIONS. MORE FIRE.
THIS WAS THE ARKEMA MEM CALL PLANT THIS MORNING.
WHAT YOU SEE BURNING THERE IS THE REMAINS OF ONE CONTAINER OF
THE CHEMICALS. THERE ARE EIGHT MORE ON SITE.
AND THE COMPANY FULLY EXPECTS ALL EIGHT REMAINING CONTAINER TO
EXPLODE AND BURN AS WELL. A 1.5 MILE RADIUS AROUND THE
PLANT REMAINS EVACUATED AND UNTIL THE FLOOD WATER RECEDE,
THERE'S LITTLE THEY CAN DO BUT WAIT FOR THE CHEMICALS TLS TO
EXPLODE AND THE CHEMICAL TO BURN OFF.
THIS IS THE PLANT THIS EVENING A COUPLE OF HOURS AGO.
THE FIRE IS OUT FOR NOW BUT AGAIN WE'RE WAITING FOR EIGHT
MORE OF THE CONTAINER TO GO. WE'RE ALSO WAITING FOR SOME
CLARITY ON EXACTLY WHAT KIND OF DANGER IS POSED BY THE SMOKE
FROM LAST NIGHT'S CHEMICAL FIRE AND THE ADDITIONAL FIRES WE'RE
STILL EXPECTING. THIS MORNING THE HEAD OF THE
FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY APPEARED TO SUGGEST THAT
THE MOEJ WAS SO DANGEROUS THAT IT WAS THE REASO REASON FOR THEE
AND THE ARKEM OFFICIALS SENT MIXED SIGNALS.
>> WE DO WHAT'S CALLED PLUME MODELLING AND THAT'S WHAT WE
BASE THE EVACUATIONS ON. BY ALL MEAN, YES, THE PLUME IS
INCREDIBLY DANG LOWS. >> YOU DON'T WANT TO STAND IN
SMOKE, DO YOU? SO THE SHERIFF SAYS IT'S LIKE A
CAMPFIRE. IT'S HYDROCARBONS BURNING.
THERE'S A LOT OF THINGS MADE OF HYDROCARBONS.
>> THE THINGS BURNING THERE ARE NO MORE DANGEROUS THAN A
CAMPFIRE? >> I DID NOT SAY THAT SIR.
>> PEOPLE'S HEALTH. >> YOU DON'T WANT TO INHALE
SMOKE. THAT'S PLAIN AND SIMPLE.
>> ARE THE FUMES NONTOXIC OR ARE YOU NOT SURE.
>> THEY'RE NOXIOUS. I DON'T KNOW THE COMPOSITION OF
THE SMOKE BUT IT'S CERTAINLY NOXIOUS.
>> YOU'RE NOT GOING TO SAY THEY'RE NONTOXIC, YES OR NO.
BECAUSE I THINK IT'S PRETTY IMPORTANT -- IT'S A PRETTY
IMPORTANT --. >> THE SMOKE IS NOXIOUS.
IT'S A RELATIVE THING. >> IT'S NOXIOUS, IT'S SMOKE.
YOU DON'T WANT TO BREATHE IT IN. IN THE MIDDLE OF A DISASTER
THINGS ARE CONFUSING, WIRES GET CROSSED AND TODAY THE EPA TESTED
THE AIR IN CROSBY, TEXAS AND REPORTED THERE WERE NO CONCERNS
REGARDING TOXIC MATERIALS. THE HEAD OF FEMA SAID HE WOULD
DEFER TO THE OFFICIALS ON THE GROUND.
ONE THING THAT MIGHT HELD US GET A LITTLE MORE SPECIFICITY IS IF
WE KNEW EXACTLY WHAT WAS IN THE PLANT AND HOW MUCH OF IT THERE
IS. BUT THAT IS INFORMATION THAT YOU
ARE NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
NOT SINCE A MASSIVE FERTILIZER PLANT EXPLOSION IN IN THE TOWN
WEST TEXAS IN 2013. AFTER THAT AMMONIUM NITRATE
BLAST WHICH LEVELED A GOOD CHUNK OF THE TOWN AND KILLED 15
PEOPLE, TEXAS MADE ONE CHANGE TO ITS RULES ABOUT CHEMICAL
STORAGE. WHAT THOSE CHEMICALS WERE AND
WHERE THEY WERE STORED WOULD NO LONGER BE PUBLIC INFORMATION.
WHICH MEANS WHEN THINGS START EXPLODING, LIKE THEY ARE RIGHT
NOW AT THE ARKEMA PLANT, THE PEOPLE OF TEXAS ARE ASKED TO
TRUST THE COMPANIES AND STATE OFFICIALS ARE TELLING THEM THE
TRUTH ABOUT WHAT'S HAPPENING. AND WHAT THE DANGER IS.
NOW IF YOU LIVED NEAR THIS ARKEMA PLANT, WOULD YOU TRUST
THE STATE OFFICIALS AND THE SAME STATE OFFICIALS WHOSE ONLY
RESPONSE TO A PREVIOUS CHEMICAL EXPLOSION WAS TO HIDE
INFORMATION FROM THE PUBLIC ABOUT WHAT CHEMICALS ARE SPEWING
INTO THE AIR. FORTUNATE LIT THERE ARE PEOPLE
TRYING TO GET THAT INFORMATION, WHO ARE TRYING TO FACT CHECK THE
AUTHORITIES. LAST NIGHT RACHEL SPOKE WITH
CROWN CALL ROSHTER WHO WROTE A SERIES OF ARTICLES LAST YEAR
ABOUT THE DANGERS OF TEXAS'S CHEMICAL KANTS.
HE ASKED ARKEMA TO HAND OVER THE LATEST CHEMICALS AT THE PANT AND
ARKEMA SAID NO. TODAY SAY SAYS THEY WOULD GIVE
HIM THAT INVENTORY. JOINING ME IS MATT DEMPSEY.
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE THIS EVENING.
AND I GUESS I'LL ASK YOU THE OBVIOUS QUESTION, HAS ARKEMA
HANDED OVER THEIR CHEMICAL INVENTORY TO YOU?
>> THEY HANDED OVER SOMETHING. IT WITH US NOT WHAT I ASKED FOR.
THEY GIVE ME A LIST OF CHEMICALS, JUST A STRAIGHT LIST
OF THE NAMES OF THE CHEMICALS. I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ABOUT HOW
MUCH OF EACH CHEMICAL, I DON'T HAVE THE CHEMICAL INDEX CODE
THAT I CAN USE TO RESEARCH MORE ABOUT THE CHEMICALS, I DON'T
KNOW WHAT KIND OF CONTAINERS THEY ARE IN AND I DON'T KNEE
WHERE THE CHEMICALS ARE LOCATED ON THE FACILITY.
>> IF YOU'RE SOMEBODY WHO REAL HOUSEWIVES HERE THE ARKEMA PLANT
WHO IS IT THAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TRUST AND BELIEVE TO TELL YOU
THAT THE AIR NEAR YOUR HOME IS SAFE TO BELIEVE WHEN YOU'RE
ALLOWED TO COME BACK? >> THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
THE EPA LIKE YOU SAID HAS DONE SOME AIR TESTING AND I THEY
THAT'S -- USUALLY WHAT HAPPENS IS THE FAIR MARSHAL'S OFFICE OR
LOCAL AUTHORITIES WILL HAVE SET UP SOME AIR MONITORING AFTER.
I THINK IT'S GOOD THAT THE EPA DID.
BUT HONESTLY FROM THE PEOPLE I TALKED TO AT CROSBY TODAY,
THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT'S IN IT, WHAT'S IN THE
SMOKE, IS THE RADIUS OF THAT 1.5 MILES FAR ENOUGH.
THERE IS RAMPANT RUMOR MONGERING ALL OVER CROSBY ABOUT WHETHER
THINGS ARE BEING DONE CORRECTLY OR NOT.
THERE'S A LOT OF CONCERN ABOUT INFORMATION NOT GETTING SPREAD
OUT TO THE PUBLIC VERY MUCH. >> AND LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT
LAW. TEXAS PASSED A LAW AFTER THE
2013 EXPLOSION THAT SPEWED CHEMICALS INTO THE AIR THAT SAID
THE PUBLIC IS NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW WHAT CHEMICALS FROM IF THE
PLANTS NEAR THEIR HOMES. DOES THAT MEAN THAT EVEN IF
HEALTH EFFECTS WERE TO HAPPEN LET'S SAY A YEAR DOWN THE ROAD,
COULD PEOPLE THEN IN A LAWSUIT POTENTIALLY DISCOVER, THROUGH
THE DISCOVERY PROCESS WHAT IS IN THE AIR?
>> I IMAGINE THEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO DISCOVER IT IN A COURT
PROCESS. BUT HONESTLY, IN SOME COURT
CASES THAT WE LOOKED AT WHEN WE WERE DOING THE SERIES THAT YOU
HAD TALKED ABOUT, THERE WERE CASES WHERE COMPANIES SAID THEY
WOULDN'T PROVIDE IT. THEY WOULDN'T PROVIDE SPECIFIC
INFORMATION. IN FACT THERE WAS ONE CASE WHERE
A WORKER GOT PRETTY SEVERELY BURNED, MY COLLEAGUE SUSAN CAROL
WROTE THIS PIECE, THEY SUED AND TRIED TO GET ALL SORTS OF
INFORMATION. NOBODY INVESTIGATED IT, VERY
LITTLE INVESTIGATIONS WERE DONE. THE EPA TRIED TO DO AN
INVESTIGATION, LIKE DID NOT GET MORE FAR WITH THE COMPANY
INVOLVED. SO HONESTLY EVEN WHEN IT CAUSES
HEALTH DAMAGES TO THE PUBLIC OR TO INDIVIDUALS, IT CAN STILL BE
DIFFICULT TO GET THAT INFORMATION.
AND JUST TO BE CLEAR, TEXAS DIDN'T PASS A LAW.
GOVERNOR ABBOTT, WHEN HE WAS ATTORNEY GENERAL, HIS AUCHS MADE
A RULING CHANGES, ESSENTIALLY LIKE THEY SENT OUT A LETTER TO
EVERYBODY SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT GOING TO -- A RULING SAYING
WE'RE NOT GOING TO PROVIDE -- THE STATE IS NO LONGER GOING TO
PROVIDE THIS INFORMATION TO THE PUBLIC.
>> VERY QUICKLY DOES THAT MEAN -- WELL HAVE YOU SEEN ANY
EVIDENCE OF MAYBE SECOND THOUGHTS THAT MAYBE TEXAS
LAWMAKERS MIGHT WANT TO PASS A LAW THAT CHANGES THAT?
>> I WOULD BE VERY -- I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY SECOND THOUGHTS.
LET'S PUT IT THIS WAY. AFTER THE HE PORT INCIDENT,
THERE WAS A DUPONT INCIDENT WHERE FOUR WORKERS DIED.
THAT DID NOT INSPIRE ANY MASSIVE CHANGES IN THE RIGHT TO KNOW
LAWS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS. OUR CHEMICAL SERIES THAT YOU
MENTIONED INSPIRED NO CHANGE BY THE LEGISLATURE AT ALL ON RIGHT
TO NOW LAWS IN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
>> BASICALLY IF YOU'RE A HOMEOWNER IN TEXAS AND YOU LIVE
NEAR A CHEMICAL PLANT, YOU HAVE TO TAKE YOUR CHANCES AND TRUST
THE COMPANY. INTERESTING.
MATT DEMPSEY -- >> WELL --
>> I'M SORRY. >> GOVERNOR ABBOTT SAID IN HIS
CAMPAIGN THAT PEOPLE COULD DRIVE AROUND AND ASK CHEMICAL PLANTS
FOR WHAT THEY WANT. >> THERE YOU GO.
THAT'S A PERFECT SOLUTION. MATT DEMPTY, DATA REPORTER,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH. >> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME ON.
>> THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS SIGNALING THAT THE PRESIDENT IS
ABOUT TO FULFILL A CAMPAIGN PROMISE WHICH WOULD BE
DEVASTATING FOR SOME OF THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE IN T