Partner Jonathan Baughman, Chair of the firm’s Oil & Gas Practice Group, was called on by Bloomberg News to provide context about the likely Federal investigation into the recent chemical blaze at the Intercontinental Terminals Co.’s (ITC) petrochemical complex in Houston. At the current time, both Federal and local investigators are considering looking into the event, while awaiting assessments from regional environmental agencies.
A federal investigation “will be akin to what FAA does when a plane crashes,” said Jonathan. “They’ll be doing root-cause analysis as well as looking to see if there were any deficiencies with the procedures in place.”
Media reported that both the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the Harris County district attorney’s office were also looking into the cause of the fire. ITC officials warned that while smoke and steam might still be visible from the site, firefighting crews continued to spray foam and water on the area to prevent re-ignition.
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