Ammonia plant explodes as Ingleside City Council weighs Project YaREN

Residents of Yazoo City, Mississippi, were ordered to shelter in place Wednesday after an explosion at a local CF Industries ammonia production plant. Nearby neighborhoods and businesses including a Walmart were evacuated as emergency crews responded to the event.

The CF Industries explosion happens just days before the Ingleside City Council is set to consider a building permit for the proposed Project YaREN ammonia facility just two miles from Ingleside Elementary School.

Project YaREN – a partnership between Norwegian chemical giant Yara and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge – would produce, store, and export millions of tons of highly-toxic ammonia annually. It’s a project community advocates say presents too much risk.

“The explosion in Mississippi should make it clear what’s on the line,” said Rhiannon Scott of the Coastal Watch Association. “When you build an ammonia plant near homes and schools, you’re gambling with people’s lives. We don’t want to become the next headline.”

Scott said the U.S. ammonia industry has reported nearly 1,000 incidents at 675 facilities over the past 15 years, including leaks, fires and explosions. Other recent accidents include a leak in Bay City, Texas that injured several workers in March.

Scott urged concerned neighbors to attend the Ingleside City Council meeting on Monday, November 10th at 6:30pm at Ingleside City Hall, 2671 San Angelo Avenue.