Early last year, Pennsylvania's top environmental official tried to raise an alarm at the highest level of the federal agency responsible for pipeline safety.
In the late 1980s, Louisiana’s governor made environmental protection a priority. He only lasted one term. Now, the state’s Department of Environmental Quality has a reputation for going easy on industry.
Two explosions forced tens of thousands of people to leave the area around a chemical plant. “As long as we know that we’re O.K., that’s all that really matters,” one resident said.
