Today, residents of Freeport and other communities near oil and gas infrastructure still don't have answers. They fear another larger explosion could take place, and are left in the dark with no publicly available safety plan, map of evacuation zones, or way to know how many miles of residential neighborhoods are at risk.
The federal agency tasked with preventing these disasters -- the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) -- is starting the process of rewriting the rules for LNG safety. But under the Trump Administration's direction, they're trying to roll back protections to cut costs instead of strengthening them to protect communities.
The public comment period is open until July 7. If enough of us act, we can demand better!
At the anniversary event in Freeport, multiple organizations and local leaders gathered, served homemade gumbo and bbq and shared personal stories of why it is so important to remember this explosion and urge the agency to prioritize their and other frontline lives over the profit of polluting oil and gas corporations.
We are organizing and we need you to join us. This is the first public rulemaking on LNG safety and it's critical we speak up.
We can't continue to sacrifice frontline families for oil and gas profits. Too many lives have already been lost, and too many people are already at risk to go backwards.
Submit a comment now and demand transparency, community safety, and worker protections. |