Posted on 05/05/2010 10:57:54 AM PDT by TXnMA
SAN ANTONIO -- An 18-wheeler being loaded with fuel at a San Antonio refinery has exploded.
Television stations showed footage Wednesday of an enormous black plume spewing from the AGE Refining Inc. unit on the city's southeast side.
Refinery marketing director Jeff Morrow says the truck exploded late Wednesday morning at the facility that refines gas and jet fuel, but he had no other details.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told KENS-TV that the fire had spread to the refining facility, and authorities were trying to assess whether neighbors should be evacuated.
There is also a DHS requirement that those working in refineries with water access (I realize this would not apply to this particular facility) have a TWIC - Transportation Worker Identification Card. This does require an extensive background check. Mine went relatively quickly due to a record of working with classified defense related info. Even though I am an engineer, I am required to have one due to equipment servicing and commissioning as part of my project scopes.
Yes, TWIC. I’d forgotten the name of the program. Thank you. I also talked to some trucking company execs who were looking into remote security devices that could allow them to “override” a driver if he went nuts, shut down a truck, etc. The costs were high but the insurance companies were pressing transport companies a few years after 9/11 to beef up.
From what I can tell now, though, with Obama in charge, I don’t think DHS can be taken seriously anymore. This ability of the Times Sq bomber to actually get ON a plane in NYC AFTER it was known who he was....
You know, at the very moment they were letting this guy waltz right onto the plane, they were probably wanding some little lady from Iowa, pulling her out of line, rifling her purse... This whole govt security apparatus simply does not WANT to find Muslim terrorists and would rather pretend the tea party is a danger.
We could save billions at this point by dumping the whole DHS concept and simply ethnically profiling for terrorists in ALL industries and venues where appropriate.
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