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Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

bbc.com

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Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#61

Post by thephyber »

fc417fc802 wrote: post #21
Aloha wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The actual site of the tank is 33.78356416377991, -117.99993897629278 [1] - its in an industrial park, and its not a large scale chemical manufacturing facility. Its 'light manufacturing' for a company that makes custom formed acrylics for aerospace. https://www.google.com/maps/place/33°47'00.8%22N+117°59'59.8...

I get that, but the reality is that 40k people were evacuated. Shouldn't zoning be set up so as to prevent that? Light manufacturing in general is fine but it seems like these particular storage tanks might have been a bit too large for that location.

If you are worried about this incident, just wait until you hear about crude-by-rail! Crude is transported through LOTS of residential neighborhoods and zoning doesn’t matter. Additionally, railroads are governed by federal law so states / local munis can’t put additional restrictions on where, when, or speed limits.

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#62

Post by kylehotchkiss »

fc417fc802 wrote: post #3

I'd be curious how it came to pass that 40k people were living within the blast radius of a plant processing toxic chemicals. Isn't this sort of thing the primary justification for the existence of zoning laws?

It should have been in the disclosures for all the home purchases at least, but renters don’t get those (maybe they should?)

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#64

Post by scruple »

mmooss wrote: post #12

They say it will fail for sure, either leak or explode. I wonder why they can't drain the tank into another facility. Maybe they just lack an appropriate container.

I live nearby, I'm hosting some family at my home who have been evacuated. A fireman friend who has been to the site said the same. That it'll either explode or spill and they're banking on it spilling.

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#65

Post by thephyber »

nine_k wrote: post #53
bonsai_spool wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I get that, but the reality is that 40k people were evacuated. Shouldn't zoning be set up so as to prevent that? It's funny that you would suggest this about California, where it is notoriously hard to build things. Accidents happen, it's not obvious that this was a forseeable outcome (happy for corrections from folks who have expertise in this area).

Since the plant was around long before the homes, the homes were built around it. Zoning laws, if they existed then, should have prevented the homes from building, not the plant.

I have seen this claim (the plant was there first), but I can’t find a source.

The nearest houses were built in 1958 according to Zillow.

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#67

Post by thephyber »

bombcar wrote: post #46
bonsai_spool wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I get that, but the reality is that 40k people were evacuated. Shouldn't zoning be set up so as to prevent that? It's funny that you would suggest this about California, where it is notoriously hard to build things. Accidents happen, it's not obvious that this was a forseeable outcome (happy for corrections from folks who have expertise in this area).

California isn't notoriously hard to build in - that's a result of it being incredibly conservative - not politically, but "anything that's built can remain forever, nothing new can be built" conservative.

You’re trying to make a distinction without a difference.

It’s notoriously difficult to build here BECAUSE of NIMBYs, house values preservation, “preservation of character”, CEQA (a state law that gives LOTS of different people who shouldn’t have this power an effective veto for any new construction).

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#68

Post by anon291 »

yungbeto wrote: post #6

Worth mentioning that in February the EPA proposed to severely deregulate chemical facilities like the one in Garden Grove, gutting third-party audits, hazard reporting, and public transparency requirements. They titled it the ‘Common Sense Approach to Chemical Accident Prevention.’ The public comment window closed just eleven days before this disaster… https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-02-24/pdf/2026-0...

It's not like chemical spills didn't happen before these changes though. Let's not sensationalize. Can you directly link the change in policy t this leak?

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#69

Post by anon291 »

fc417fc802 wrote: post #3

I'd be curious how it came to pass that 40k people were living within the blast radius of a plant processing toxic chemicals. Isn't this sort of thing the primary justification for the existence of zoning laws?

As someone whose childhood home is in the evac zone ... It's a bit crazy I was living in this neighborhood my entire childhood just waiting for this to go boom

That being said California is very industry friendly and all the stuff about overregulation is from people who don't get California.

Re: Toxic chemical leak at a manufacturing facility in Orange County

#70

Post by anon291 »

ajross wrote: post #37
kristjansson wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because greater Los Angeles is the USA's (post-)WWII aerospace hub disguised as a megacity and cultural production center? All sorts of folks spent the 40s-00s (scientifically) blowing stuff up in the hills, and manufacturing the resulting products down in the basin and points south. Those businesses needed labor, which needed nearby housing, and here we are.

That's... not really a reasonable characterization of LA's urban growth patterns. To begin with, Hollywood quite clearly predates the aerospace buildout in the 40's and 50's. It was an oil production and refining hub before that, and an agricultural shipping center even before the dust bowl. This particular neighborhood in Orange County certainly looks aerospacey, but I bet the Disney-centered service workers in Anah…

This part of the OC is very defense heavy.
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