Volume 124 Issue 58
Thursday, November 10, 2011
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COMMENTARY
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2011
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 8
Grain elevator explosion in Atchison leaves six dead
STATE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
An explosion that killed six people and injured two others at a northeast Kansas grain elevator was accidental, the State Fire Marshal's Office said Thursday.
The agency said it found no evidence of criminal activity in the Oct. 29 grain dust explosion at the Bartlett Grain Co. elevator in Atchison, about 50 miles northwest of Kansas City. Preliminary findings indicate the blast apparently originated in
the elevator's main bin area. The investigation is ongoing.
Rose Rozmiarek, the chief of investigations for the Fire Marshal's Office, said in a telephone interview that grain dust was definitely the fuel that was ignited, but investigators are still trying to determine the spark. The amount of grain dust accumulation at the time is going to be hard to determine. she said.
"All we can say is that there was enough (grain dust) to allow that to happen, which unfortunately is the
hazard of any of these elevators," she said. "The elevator itself was half full of product at the time."
Rozmiarek said she did not know whether the main bin area where the explosion is believed to have originated was the bin being unloaded into rail cars at the time.
Investigators have completed an external examination of the facility as well as a limited internal look to the extent that those areas are accessible. Some smoldering fire still exists in the damaged bin areas.
The grain storage facility has 14 silo areas. About four of them are still inaccessible, she said.
A final report on the explosion will take several weeks to complete, the Fire Marshal's Office said. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is conducting its own investigation, which is expected to take several months.
The state investigation is likely to stay open until investigators can get into all areas of the elevator. If some areas remain inaccessible, the state is
likely to list the cause as its preliminary findings indicate.
"Unfortunately, we have worked several grain elevator explosions in Kansas," Rozmiraek said. "Nothing is really out of the ordinary per se in this one."
The explosion killed Bartlett employees John Burke, 24; Ryan Federinko, 21; Curtis Field, 21; and Chad Roberts, 20, as well as grain inspectors Travis Keil, 34; and Darrek Klahr, 43.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ENVIRONMENT
Oil pipeline delayed to address problems
The Obama administration said Thursday it is delaying a decision on a massive oil pipeline until it can study new potential routes that avoid environmentally sensitive areas of Nebraska, a move that likely puts off final action on the pipeline until after the 2012 election.
The announcement by the State Department means Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. will have to figure out a way to move the proposed Keystone XL pipeline around the Nebraska Sandhills region and Ogallala aquifer, which supplies water to eight states. The State Department said it will require an environmental review of the new section, which is expected to be completed in early 2013.
President Barack Obama said the 1,700-mile pipeline could affect the health and safety of the American people as well as the environment.
"We should take the time to ensure that all questions are properly addressed and all the potential impacts are properly understood," Obama said in a statement.
The decision on whether to approve the $7 billion pipeline "should be guided by an open, transparent process that is informed by the best available science and the voices of the American people," Obama said.
TransCanada Corp. is seeking to build a 36-inch pipeline to carry oil derived from tar sand in Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Texas Gulf Coast. The pipeline would travel
through Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas and Oklahoma before reaching Texas.
The heavily contested project has become a political trap for Obama, who risks angering environmental supporters if he approves the pipeline and could face criticism from labor and business groups for thwarting job creation if he rejects it.
Some liberal donors have threatened to cut off contributions to Obama's re-election campaign if he approves the pipeline.
The project has become a focal point for environmental groups, which say it would bring "dirty oil" that requires huge amounts of energy to extract. They also worry that the pipeline could cause an ecological disaster in case of a spill.
Thousands of protesters gathered across from the White House on Sunday to oppose the pipeline, and celebrities including "Seinfeld" actress Julia Louis-Dreyfus have made videos urging to reject the pipeline. The State Department has authority over the project because it crosses a U.S. border.
Environmental activist Bill McKibben, who led protests against the pipeline and was arrested in a demonstration earlier this year, said on Twitter that the protests had an effect on the Obama administration.
"A done deal has come spectacularily undone!" he wrote.
The Keystone XL pipeline would carry as much as 700,000 barrels of oil a day.
to "prove they don't care reveal their bluff.
Kansas officials and coaches have said they have no interest in playing Missouri beyond this season, and many fans feel the same way. There's probably a lot of truth in that, too. Kansas certainly doesn't benefit financially from playing Missouri in basketball, where an annual game in Kansas City would mean a 50-50 split of ticket money. Kansas will make much more than that when they play Davidson there next month.
But in seven or eight years, when both schools are settled in their respective conferences, some business will try to sponsor a reunion in Kansas City of football, basketball, or both. It will be just enough time to cool off from the messy divorce, and both sides will realize hating someone else isn't quite the same.
Paterno, Spanier fired after Sandusky scandal
— Edited by Mandy Matney
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — The longest and one of the most distinguished coaching careers in college football history ended suddenly with the firing of Joe Paterno by Penn State's Board of Trustees on Wednesday night. Paterno, who offered his resignation in the morning but said he wanted to finish this season, was joined on the unemployment line by university president Graham Spanier.
MCCLATCHY TRIBUNE
The move was in response to the arrest on Saturday of Paterno's longtime former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky and the release of a grand jury report alleging he sexually abused at least eight young boys. Although neither Paterno nor Spanner has been charged with any criminal wrongdoing,
Speaking for the board, vicechairman John Surma said, "The past several days have been terrible, but the outrage we feel is nothing compared to the physical and psychological abuse that allegedly took place."
Paterno received an eyewitness report of one alleged sexual assault in 2002 and just passed it up the chain of command. No one at Penn State pursued a criminal prosecution of Sandusky for that incident.
Surma was pressed repeatedly for an explanation of why Paterno, who is tied with Amos Alonzo Stagg for most games ever coached at 448, was not given a chance to coach the final home game against Nebraska on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Instead, defensive coordinator Tom Bradley was appointed to replace Paterno on an
interim basis.
"With the difficulties engulfing this university — and they are grave as you all have documented," Surma said, "it was necessary to make a change now."
Speaking at his house to students, Paterno said, "Right now, I'm not the football coach, and that's something I have to get used to."
Perhaps fearing the worst, the 84-year-old Paterno, who has a record 409 wins, attempted to make an end run around the board of trustees in the hope of going out with a shred of dignity. In his statement, which was released through a Washington-area public relations firm as opposed to being approved by Penn State, Paterno expressed regret that he didn't do more to prevent Sandusky's alleged crimes.
MATT ROURKE/AP PHOTO
Penn State football coach Joe Paterno arrives home yesterday in State College, Pa. Paterno and university president Graham Spanier were fired yesterday evening, brought down by their failure to do more about an allegation of child sex abuse against a former defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky, who is accused of molesting eight boys over 15 years.
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