What We Are Facing

Magnablend closed on the old Superconducting Super Collider property off FM 1446 and Hoyt Road in Waxahachie, Texas on January 27, 2012.

Magnablend blends fracking chemicals for the oil and gas industry, pesticides, wastewater treatment chemicals, and agricultural products. The Magnablend Central Facility on U.S. Hwy 287 Byp in Waxahachie caught fire and violently exploded on October 3, 2011 and released an unknown amount of hazardous and possibly toxic chemicals into the environment. The chemicals were released into the atmosphere and surface groundwater.

At the end of December 2011, curious residents inquired about increased activity at the new proposed location and found that Magnablend is planning on building a new chemical plant in our agricultural and residential area.

After further investigation, residents found that the Ellis County Commissioners' Court amended a property deed restriction on December 12, 2011 that prevented any business that required a permit from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) from operating on the property.

Despite pleas to the County Commissioners' Court and opposition to Magnablend, Magnablend continues with their efforts to build at the new proposed location.

Our area includes a dairy farm that distributes milk nationally, other agricultural activities, many residential homes, and is located on dangerous narrow Farm-to-Market roads.

We already have numerous accidents on these dangerous roads and recently experienced a fatal accident. We do not want added dangers with toxic and hazardous chemicals traversing these dangerous roads that were not built to withstand the heavy trucking of dangerous chemicals.

Another area of concern is that drainage from the proposed property flows directly in a creek that feeds into Lake Waxahachie. This lake provides is the source for our drinking water and for the City of Waxahachie.

Magnablend CEO Scott Pendery touts the company's 32 year safety record and ensures us that the company will operate safely. However, despite their 32 year safety record, the Central Facility still violently exploded putting our health at risk and contaminating the environment.

The Central Facility violently exploded only four months into Scott Pendery's new role as CEO with three venture capital firms backing him. The Central Facility had also only been operational for approximately three years before the environmental disaster.

The Magnablend Powder Plant was recently cited for alleged violations by the TCEQ that included not operating a dust collection system while blending chemicals (hazard that could result in an entire plant explosion if the dust was combustible), releasing emissions from chemicals that were not approved with an existing permit, and releasing emissions from chemicals that are prohibited by TCEQ regulations.

The EPA formal administrative action against the Magnablend Liquid Facility in 2005 for failing to maintain a Risk Management Plan, which resulted in Magnablend paying a $780 fine.

Four months after the fire on October 3, 2011, Magnablend has still not cleaned up the environmental disaster at the Central Facility location, has failed to contain contaminated water (entered our creeks and headed for Lake Bardwell which is another source of our drinking water), residents are still complaining of severe nuisance odors, and residents are continuing to report health problems that have been ignored by Magnablend and public officials.

The TCEQ is still conducting an investigation into the incident and the TCEQ has also initiated enforcement action against Magnablend on January 27, 2012 for a massive fish kill in one of the ponds that resulted in 2,100 to 2,200 dead fish by TCEQ estimates.

Magnablend failed to prevent a catastrophic accident, failed to contain chemical runoff during the fire, and failed to contain contaminated water more than four months later. These failures, in addition to EPA and TCEQ violations, leaves many residents questioning Magnablend's ability to ensure safety.

Please help us in our efforts to keep Magnablend away from agricultural and residential areas. The company belongs in a location that is specifically zoned for industrial use.