For immediate release
Contact Dave Perera
dave.perera@mail.house.gov
202-770-7899
Rep. Barragán statement on Rancho Liquefied Petroleum Gas facility
SAN PEDRO, Calif.—Rep. Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-San Pedro) today issued this statement about the Rancho Liquefied Petroleum Gas facility located in close proximity to hundreds of San Pedro homes and the Port of LA:
Our community is home to one of the largest above-ground butane gas storage facilities in the nation. These types of facilities pose a danger to our neighborhoods when they’re located in urban areas.
Butane is highly flammable and a chemical hazard, and this facility can store 25 million gallons of this gas. An industrial accident could cause the emergency relocation of hundreds of families and disrupt the education of thousands of kids attending schools in very close proximity to this facility.
Giant tanks storing combustible chemicals are simply incompatible with residential neighborhoods.
Recent reports and rulings have found this facility to be compliant with federal regulations governing rail transportation, safety, and proximity to dwelling spaces.
Federal law allows this facility and others like it to be located next to populated areas without taking into account the risk to the public. I plan on using all the resources at my disposal to change these laws and regulations to ensure that this terrible risk isn’t dismissed.
Too often we hear the excuse of “legally compliant” in the aftermath of a disaster.
I am going to work to make sure that being “legally complaint” isn’t an excuse to leave communities in fear.
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Nanette Diaz Barragán is proud to represent California’s 44th Congressional District, which includes the communities of Carson, Compton, Lynwood, North Long Beach, Rancho Dominguez, San Pedro, South Gate, Walnut Park, Watts, Willowbrook and Wilmington.