After blast, Texas to unveil database of hazardous chemicals

Joe Sutton, CNN
Updated 4:31 PM EDT, Tue June 18, 2013
Forensic mappers work the crater at the site of a fire and explosion in West, Texas, on April 24, 2013. The West Fertilizer Co. plant in the small Texas town exploded days earlier on April 17, killing 15 people.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Forensic mappers work the crater at the site of a fire and explosion in West, Texas, on April 24, 2013. The West Fertilizer Co. plant in the small Texas town exploded days earlier on April 17, killing 15 people.
Reuters /Landov
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives search the bank of rail tracks for evidence at the site of the explosion.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives search the bank of rail tracks for evidence at the site of the explosion.
Reuters /Landov
Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building, in foreground, and a nursing home on April 18, 2013.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building, in foreground, and a nursing home on April 18, 2013.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The remains of an apartment complex lie on cars.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
The remains of an apartment complex lie on cars.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
A deer head mount sits inside a car parked next to an apartment complex damaged in the explosion.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
A deer head mount sits inside a car parked next to an apartment complex damaged in the explosion.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
A Valley Mills Fire Department firefighter walks through the remains of an apartment complex next to the fertilizer plant.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
A Valley Mills Fire Department firefighter walks through the remains of an apartment complex next to the fertilizer plant.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
Smoke rises from the rubble of a house next to the fertilizer plant.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Smoke rises from the rubble of a house next to the fertilizer plant.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
A railroad boxcar lies on its side near the plant.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
A railroad boxcar lies on its side near the plant.
Erich Schlegel/Getty Images
A Texas State Trooper stops people from entering a neighborhood near the plant.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
A Texas State Trooper stops people from entering a neighborhood near the plant.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
A chimney is the only part of a home left standing after the explosion.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
A chimney is the only part of a home left standing after the explosion.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Brandon Smith removes broken glass from the West Thrift Shop.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Brandon Smith removes broken glass from the West Thrift Shop.
MIKE STONE/REUTERS/LANDOV
Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Search and rescue workers comb through what remains of a 50-unit apartment building.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
The West Fertilizer Co. lies in ruins.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
The West Fertilizer Co. lies in ruins.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
A sheriff's deputy comforts a woman at a command post.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
A sheriff's deputy comforts a woman at a command post.
Mike Fuentes/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Remains of the fertilizer plant burn in the early morning after the explosion.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Remains of the fertilizer plant burn in the early morning after the explosion.
Mike Stone/ Reuters
Water is sprayed on the remains of the plant.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Water is sprayed on the remains of the plant.
Mike Stone/Reuters
With smoke rising in the distance, a law enforcement officer runs a checkpoint at the perimeter about half a mile from the plant.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
With smoke rising in the distance, a law enforcement officer runs a checkpoint at the perimeter about half a mile from the plant.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Waco Police spokesman William Swanton speaks to reporters about the explosion.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Waco Police spokesman William Swanton speaks to reporters about the explosion.
Mike Stone/Reuters
Glass from blown-out windows lies shattered on the sidewalk and street after the blast.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Glass from blown-out windows lies shattered on the sidewalk and street after the blast.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Shattered glass covers items in front of a thrift store.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes —
Shattered glass covers items in front of a thrift store.
Texas fertilizer plant explodes

Story highlights

New Texas database will track hazardous chemicals

Residents will be able to see online nearby facilities that have such chemicals

It is a response to April's deadly blasts in West, Texas

CNN  — 

With the deadly fertilizer plant explosions in the city of West on its mind, Texas will develop an online database that will allow residents to view local facilities that hold hazardous materials.

The creation of the database, which does not require a legislative vote, was announced by state Rep. Joe Pickett, D-El Paso.

Residents will be able to input their ZIP code into the database, which will then show the nearest hazardous sites, Pickett told CNN Tuesday.

Pickett is the chairman of the state legislature’s Homeland Security and Public Safety Committee.

In April, a fire at the facility operated by West Fertilizer Company set off two explosions that registered on seismographs as a magnitude-2.1 earthquake and were felt 50 miles away.

The plant held 270 tons of highly volatile ammonium nitrate on site, according to regulatory records.

Records: Texas plant hadn’t told feds about explosive fertilizer

The new database will not only list sites with high volumes of ammonium nitrate, but also other volatile chemicals, Pickett said.

There are 16 sites, mostly located in unincorporated areas, that house large amounts of ammonium nitrate, the lawmaker said.

There may be up to 129 sites listed on the hazardous materials database, with varying levels of risk assigned to them, he said.

The site will also provide information for contacting authorities about concerns about such facilities.

A launch date for the database will be announced in about two weeks, Pickett said.

The blasts in West leveled a portion of the town, damaging numerous homes, a nursing home and the town’s high school and middle school.

FEMA denies West additional aid

Authorities haven’t publicly determined what caused the deadly situation, saying it could have started from a spark from a golf cart, an electrical short or could have been set intentionally. In May, authorities announced they had launched a criminal investigation into the case, though no one has been charged.

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