Texas Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott has a good thing going on with the Kochs. As we previously wrote, much to the delight of the Kochs, Abbott actually acted to limit standards for public chemical disclosure even in the wake of the deadly explosion in West, Texas.

And Wayne Slater of Dallas Morning News reported that the move came after massive contributions from the fertilizer industry who stands to benefit from the relaxed chemical rules. Donations that included $75,000 from the Kochs, including $25,000 from Charles Koch’s son, Chase, who heads the fertilizer division of Koch Industries.

The Kochs have proven time and time again that they really don’t care about how people’s safety is affected by the work of their oil conglomerate, so long as they are maximizing profits. In fact, according to Daniel Shulman’s book, Sons of Wichita, a former Koch Industries […]

Kochs pour thousands into protecting fertilizer interests in Texas

July 2, 2014

Wayne Slater has the scoop in today’s Dallas Morning News about another effort by the Kochs to use their largesse to advance a self-serving political agenda, this time to the benefit of their fertilizer business in Texas.

After last year’s tragic fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, Texans’ interest in knowing where these dangerous chemicals are stored naturally increased. According to the report, for decades, this information was available to the public on the Department of State Health Services’ website. Yet in the wake of the accident in West, Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott has ruled that these records are closed, citing a post-9/11 anti-terrorism state security statute.  Abbott contends that concerned Texans can still drive to chemical facilities in their area and inquire in person about what potentially dangerous or explosive chemicals are stored on-site. (Sounds safe, right?)

Why the change in disclosure policy? According to Slater, Abbott’s campaign […]

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