The attorney representing Bryce Ashley Reed is saying his client this week will plead not guilty to a federal charge of possessing an explosive device.

Reed, a West, Texas paramedic, was arrested late last week. According to an affidavit Reed admitted to possessing the components of a pipe bomb. He apparently handed over the ingredients—chemical powders, a fuse, a lighter, a digital scale and other items—to an acquaintance.

Reed responded to the massive explosion last month at West Fertilizer Co. in West that killed 15 people, wounded hundreds of others and damaged or destroyed 140 homes, an apartment complex, two schools, a retirement center and local businesses.

Authorities have not linked Reed to the blast at the fertilizer retailer in the small rural community of about 2,800.

His lawyer says Reed had “no involvement whatsoever in the explosion at the West, Texas fertilizer plant.”

Several hours after the arrest was made public, authorities said a criminal investigation was launched into circumstances surrounding the massive explosion on April 17.

I'm wondering how this could change the public's perception of this unfortunate disaster in Texas.

In the weeks following the blast, various news agencies have unveiled a patchwork regulation for facilities such as West Fertilizer, which stored hundreds of tons of the highly-volatile chemical compound ammonium nitrate at the site.

West Fertilizer, or its parent company Adair Grain, did not notify the Department of Homeland Security it possessed so much ammonium nitrate—as facilities dealing with this quantity of the substance are required. In fact, it seemed no one who outsiders might assume should have known, did know much about this facility site.

The Texas Department of Insurance says four (4!) state agencies with some oversight (as in maybe, maybe not and to what extent is not particularly known) of facilties like West Fertilizer do not require general liability coverage.

The search for information and answers following this explosion was not easy. Still isn't. There was a lot of finger-pointing at the start—many referrals. “Maybe you should try [fill in the blank]. Yeah, call them.” Or worse, “Call the plant.”

Turns out (so it would seem) no one was intentionally scapegoating. Because no one actually knew who to call. For days and days after this tragedy, I was getting as many calls and emails seeking answers as I was making to get them myself. In this case, when a community is literally rocked and its well-being is at stake, that is terrifying.

Ammonium nitrate is the same type of stuff Timothy McVeigh used to blow up the Oklahoma City federal building in 1995—stored within quick walking distance to a middle school entrance.

Gov. Rick Perry has been heavily criticized, with local editorialists citing his movement toward what some may call over-the-top deregulation in an effort to lure businesses to Texas. It's worked, apparently.

Meanwhile, federal and state lawmakers have called for intense debate regarding the oversight and regulation of facilities like West Fertilizer.

But will this soap-boxing stand up against the potential that the explosion at this facility was no accident? Does political outrage wane? Do reporters turn to exposing Reed in every way imaginable?

Say authorities find enough on Reed to connect him to the fire that eventually led to the explosion at the plant.

All the points regarding holes in insurance requirements, workplace safety, risk management, oversight, and land-use planning remain as firm as the days prior to us learning of Reed. But do they persist against a backdrop of what could be a criminal act?

If and when the West Fertilizer explosion fades as a springboard for change, will change indeed occur?

My inkling in Texas (again, creating a hypothetical scenario in which Reed is to blame) is that no matter how much you attempt to convince those responsible for change the disaster as we knew it before Reed entered the picture could have happened and still exposes a multitude of inadequacies in the system, folks would shoot back with, “It hadn't happened in X-number of many years and it wouldn't have happened without a guy planting an explosive device.”

As it is, the earth-shattering blast in West seems to have done little to sway the local perception of government regulations, at least according to what I have read in local Texas media.

Whether a young paramedic is tied to this disaster, I'm hoping the journalism world continues to reveal the roots of the underlying problems that seem to permeate the state. And I hope lawmakers continue to demand answers and seek solutions.

I'm no proponent of burdensome regulation. But it just seems this disaster screams for any measures put in place with the intent to prevent something like it from happening again. And no matter the outcome of the criminal investigation—no matter how this site and its incredible dangers were exposed—that will remain true.

Special Reports /

Doesn't Matter How West Fertilizer Dangers Were Revealed

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