West, Texas — Nearly one year after the devastating ammonium nitrate explosion at West Fertilizer Co. that claimed 15 lives and caused extensive property damage in West, Texas, city officials are reportedly mulling the possibility of building another fertilizer facility in or near the town. According to the Waco Tribune, West Mayor Tommy Muska and representatives of an urban planning firm aired the idea at a town hall meeting in West on March 25. Muska said a new fertilizer facility is just one option on the table to bring jobs and economic growth back to West, but he said West Fertilizer was a sizable employer in the city and the loss of the business has been a blow to area farmers, who are now forced to travel to other locations for their farm input needs. “It’s time to at least talk about it and to see what our citizens think about another fertilizer plant,” Muska was quoted as saying. “The fertilizer plant provided a service to this community, which is still predominantly an agricultural community. It’s been almost a year. It’s time to at least put it out there and see what people think.” Muska said any new fertilizer facility would be placed in a different location away from schools and homes, would be subject to strict zoning requirements, and would be state-of-the-art in terms of meeting safety codes. The Waco Tribune reported that West residents were asked in a recent survey what types of industry would be a good fit for West. The newspaper said 75 percent of respondents said tourism and entertainment, 44 percent said agricultural manufacturing and supply, and 44 percent said warehousing/distribution.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain