Chemical plants

Cost versus safety debated at Albany, N.Y. chemical plant location
Greenpeace backs federal proposal for tougher chemical plant safety rules, but an Albany firm — and the chemical industry more generally — fear expense
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70,000 evacuated amid Texas chemical facility fire
Fire at a chemical storage warehouse in Bryan, Texas has prompted the evacuation of about 70,000 people; officials plan for the evacuation of students at Texas A&M University in nearby College Station
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House panel votes for mandating safer technology at chemical plants
In a setback to the chemical industry, the House Homeland Security Committee approved a bill yesterday that could make chemical facilities use safer technologies and open them to civil lawsuits when they violate regulations
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Chemical industry urges Congress not to alter chemical facility security law
The Chemical Facility Security Act of 2006 introduced federal seafety standards to govern chemical plants, but also contained major concessions to the industry; the industry wants Congress to reauthorize the act without alterations
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Rules about hazmat trains worry Pennsylvania officials
Officials in Pennsylvania’s York and Adams counties are uneasy about the prospect of having hazardous material roll through their counties
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Chemical company wants to limit disclosure on plant explosion
An explosion in a chemical plant in West Virginia plant killed two employees and raised fears about the safety of chemical plants located near residential areas; the plant owner, citing a terrorism-related federal law, is trying to limit what the federal chemical safety agency can disclose to the public
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CSC to help combat cyber warfare
Cyberattacks pose a major threat to the welfare and security of developing countries; developing protection against that threat offers business opportunities
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Hill committees put authorization, chemical security bills on top of agendas
Top House and Senate Homeland Security committees staffers say their top priorities would be authorization of DHS budget and chemical plants safety measure which may include “inherently safer technologies”
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Trains carrying hazmat collide in Minnesota
At least 40 cars were derailed and some went into the Mississippi River in an early morning crash in southeast Minnesota; liquid ammonia and propane are leaking from some of the cars
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New CFIUS regulations
CFIUS issues final regulations governing national security reviews of foreign investment in the United States
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Important deals in the chemical sector
Ashland acquires Hercules, and Dow announces its plans to acquire Rohm and Haas; Ashland values Hercules at $3.3 billion; Dow is willing to pay $18.8 billion for Rohm and Haas
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Melting ice menaces Russia's critical infrastructure
Russian scientists say that the hard permafrost covering the ground year-round across Russia’s far north will melt by 2030; government officials say that if this happens, critical infrastructure, including key airfields, oil storage facilities, and strategic oil reservoirs, could all be destroyed
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Weather service offers Chicago HAZMAT support page
The U.S. National Weather Service offers Chicago-area critical infrastructure plants area-specific information on weather patterns so that can better cope with accidents and disasters
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Fines for nuclear operator
Security guards at a Florida nuclear power plant are found asleep on the job; other guards disable their weapons, making it impossible for them to protect the plant in the event of an incident; the NRC imposes fines
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New material shows promise for nuclear waste clean-up
Nuclear power has advantages, but if this method of generating power is to be viable long term, discovering new solutions to radioactive waste disposal and other problems is important
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