On Jan. 9, a container holding 4-methylcyclohexane methanol, a chemical used to wash coal, spilled into the Elk River, prompting the state to issue a water ban affecting 300,000 people in nine counties. The chemical storage site hadn’t been inspected since 1991, and so far state officials have not explained why a facility for toxic chemicals was allowed to operate so close to a river — and the state’s largest water treatment plant. Under state law, inspections are not required for chemical storage facilities.
West Virginia’s government has long been deferential to the coal and chemical industries and has often regarded federal regulations as unwanted intrusions. Even after deadly accidents at chemical plants in 2008 and 2010, The New York Times recently reported, the state mostly ignored federal officials and local health authorities who called for better oversight. Many in the economically troubled region are wary of any steps that might scare industry away. But beyond putting residents’ health at risk, chemical releases that render basic infrastructure unusable — in this case, the water supply — have economic consequences of their own.
Fortunately, the most recent spill caused no fatalities, and local officials began lifting the water emergency within days. But there’s still an acute need for an honest assessment of future chemical threats and for rules that protect West Virginians from them.