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Tragedy Waiting to Happen |
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Voices
By Jody James
Near San Pedro's boundary with Wilmington, Harbor City and Rancho Palos Verdes there is an aging 26 million gallon LPG tank facility called AmeriGas Propane Inc.
These tanks sit across from a densely populated neighborhood, within two blocks of three schools, soccer fields, the 110 freeway and the Port of LA.
They sit on the Palos Verdes fault and in a liquefaction zone according to the maps provided by the California Seismic Hazard Mapping Act.
Very few of us understand the magnitude of the danger our neighborhoods face.
Our anxiety has been tweaked by the recently released US Geological Survey report that an earthquake of a 6.7 or greater will occur here within the next 30 years.
If these huge tanks rupture in a catastrophic incident what would be the result of 26 million gallons of butane (and 600,000 gallons of propane) cutting loose on our neighborhoods?
In addition to mistakes and earthquakes there is the threat of terrorism. (Does anyone see the irony of a store called TARGET being built one block from this AmeriGas facility?)
In 1978 these tanks were the subject of California State legislative action by Vincent Thomas. Also US Congressional action. Laws were strengthened to prevent locating such facilities in populated areas.
The Port Master Plan from the 1970's identified these tanks as urgently needing to be relocated to a remote site. After the attacks of 911 our elected officials promised to act swiftly to remove serious hazards from the Harbor area.
The only action taken by AmeriGas is that they no longer ship their product out of the Port to the Far East. They have become even more hazardous by transporting their product by rail and truck through our communities on the way to Texas.
I am hoping that an act of unity and community support will help get AmeriGas relocated before a disaster happens. Please urge our LA City Council to make our people's safety a #1 priority! Public pressure is a strong force. (Jody James is a member of the NW San Pedro Neighborhood Council.) _
CityWatch
Vol 6 Issue 38
Pub: May 9, 2008
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