Although I share in the feelings of extreme outrage about the West explosion....this article's writing quality and the responses it caused are an example of why reporters need actual training to be reporters - fact checking is not an option in actual journalism.
Anyone else find it odd that they'd have so much ammonium nitrate stockpiled? You have to wonder, because it's one of the ingredients you need for making meth. Wonder if they were selling to a lab.
Um, maybe, but probably not. They are more interested in saving money/maximizing profits in fertilizer production and sales.
The West plant's owners/managers deliberately failed to Report the amount of ammonium nitrate they had. It is not unusual in itself that they had so much of the stuff, though. Nor illegal in itself that there was so much. It's just that DHS needs to know where stockpiles of the stuff is, so they can inspect security, inventory handling and safeguards.
Clearly, the plant's owners did not want anyone in authority to inspect their plant, since they could not even be bothered to install basic, required fire suppression equipment.
Another thing that will probably come up as the investigation unfolds is that the plant owners either downplayed the danger posed by the plant with the local zoning officials or those officials allowed themselves to be influenced or bribed into letting the plant be built right in the town. Must have been a combination of cheap real estate and the desire for convenient road and highway access.
