With hurricanes on the march, we might want to look at the effects of deregulation on the march. Hurricane Harvey’s devastation was made worse by a toxic stew of Superfund sites and weak regulation. After a chemical plant started to explode in the Texas floodwaters, reporters began to dig a little deeper into what actions the EPA was taking and what sort of chemicals were in the mix.
Spoiler alert: we don’t know what chemicals were released into the air of Crosby, Texas because it’s a secret that has been blocked by EPA head Scott Pruitt, among others. It’s a complicated tale of deregulation-at-all-costs, campaign cash and Trump administration smears. While the Obama-era chemical safety rule that was overturned by Pruitt may not have prevented the Crosby disaster, neighbors, first-responders and cleanup crews have a right to know what hazardous materials they are dealing with.
Chances are, Hurricane Irma will release a similarly-toxic chemical stew in Florida. Natural disasters like these have a way of poking holes in the “run-the-governent-like-a-business” school of thought.