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Laxed Security At Chemical Plants


Guest Frank Ferreira

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Perception always trumps reality.

If they were to build a modern nuclear plant, you would have thousands demonstrating. Yet here you have a chemical plant in a heavily populated areas which can make Chernobyl look like Disneyland and no one bats an eye.

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Some of you people make me laugh...KOTW bases it's little article on exactly WHAT??? Tell you want, whoever KOTW is...Try to breach the security at the plant........ Of course it might be a little difficult to maintain your site from prison.

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Some of you people make me laugh...KOTW bases it's little article on exactly WHAT??? Tell you want, whoever KOTW is...Try to breach the security at the plant........ Of course it might be a little difficult to maintain your site from prison.

Bhopal.

Also http://emc.ornl.gov/CSEPPweb/data/Evacuati...tvilleqr178.pdf

There is one guarantee: accidents will happen.

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Some of you people make me laugh...KOTW bases it's little article on exactly WHAT??? Tell you want, whoever KOTW is...Try to breach the security at the plant........ Of course it might be a little difficult to maintain your site from prison.

Guest,

Which entry do you want me to use. The front gate? The Pulaski Skyway entrance? or the River side entrance?

If you visit KOTW's Environment Page and read the prior posts, you can see the efforts being made to make us all more secure. In KOTW's opinion the plant should have been retrofit a long time ago.

KOTW

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Guest,

Which entry do you want me to use. The front gate? The Pulaski Skyway entrance? or the River side entrance?

If you visit KOTW's Environment Page and read the prior posts, you can see the efforts being made to make us all more secure. In KOTW's opinion the plant should have been retrofit a long time ago.

KOTW

Your Choice, either way you'll end up in handcuffs...or a bag. I dont think that Kuehne is the easy entry you think it is..but like I said YOU are the one who purports yourself to be the Amateur Journalist...GO AHEAD AND TRY after all it's Easy....right??? For my AMusxement seeing you led off in Handcuffs on Federal charges for violating MARSEC rules will be quite delicious..of course we'll never know about it sicne you wont be there to tell us, and Internet Access isnt available at the Hudson County Correctional Facility.

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Your Choice, either way you'll end up in handcuffs...or a bag. I dont think that Kuehne is the easy entry you think it is..but like I said YOU are the one who purports yourself to be the Amateur Journalist...GO AHEAD AND TRY after all it's Easy....right??? For my AMusxement seeing you led off in Handcuffs on Federal charges for violating MARSEC rules will be quite delicious..of course we'll never know about it sicne you wont be there to tell us, and Internet Access isnt available at the Hudson County Correctional Facility.

Terrorists are not worried about landing in jail. Jail isn't an option for them.

As far as Kuehne being an easy entry, Reporter Jonathan Dienst of NBC wasn't given any hassle after he parked the NBC Satellite News truck in front of Kuehne in 2006 and did some live takes from in front of Kuehne's main gate. He filmed the gate wide open. Nobody came out to meet him or even ask him to move. Dienst isn't an amateur journalist. He is just concerned that such a dangerous chemical plant is located miles from New York City and nobody seems to be seriously addressing the plants vunerability to a terrorist attack.

I share his (and others) concern.

KOTW

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Terrorists are not worried about landing in jail. Jail isn't an option for them.

As far as Kuehne being an easy entry, Reporter Jonathan Dienst of NBC wasn't given any hassle after he parked the NBC Satellite News truck in front of Kuehne in 2006 and did some live takes from in front of Kuehne's main gate. He filmed the gate wide open. Nobody came out to meet him or even ask him to move. Dienst isn't an amateur journalist. He is just concerned that such a dangerous chemical plant is located miles from New York City and nobody seems to be seriously addressing the plants vunerability to a terrorist attack.

I share his (and others) concern.

KOTW

I have news for you..it isnt 2006 Anymore. But Like I said..Go ahead and Try...it'll be Amusing to read about you in the Newspapers.

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  • 1 month later...
Guest Studies and Observations

Well KOTW.....what have you learned since your last foray onto this subject. You wnt from April 2006 forward to Dec 2008..WITHOUT nbothering to actually determine if any changes were made from the time of the original article, and Since being called on it have been strangely Silent.. SO, Since You took it upon yourself to bring this forward, what have You done?? Called the Kearny Police?? called the FD?, Spoken to the PIO at the plant? How about DHS? County OEM, or better yet NJSP Terrorism Bureau?? What have YOU done? Other than to try and take a dead issue and cause unnecessary worry about it.

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Well KOTW.....what have you learned since your last foray onto this subject. You wnt from April 2006 forward to Dec 2008..WITHOUT nbothering to actually determine if any changes were made from the time of the original article, and Since being called on it have been strangely Silent.. SO, Since You took it upon yourself to bring this forward, what have You done?? Called the Kearny Police?? called the FD?, Spoken to the PIO at the plant? How about DHS? County OEM, or better yet NJSP Terrorism Bureau?? What have YOU done? Other than to try and take a dead issue and cause unnecessary worry about it.

Dear Studies and Observations:

It is ironic (and scary) that you use the words "dead issue" in the last line of your post. The issue is far from dead. The article that appears on KOTW's home page is about the recent (November 19, 2008) report entitled "Chemical Security: What You Don't Have Can't Leak, or be Blown Up By Terrorists" which refers to the Kuehne Chemical plant (among others) and the present risk they pose to us. The Kuehne Chemical plant continues to be a security risk and a potential terrorist target. I suggest you reread my commentary on the home page. I believe that the commentary is balanced and fair. The issue is timely and hopefully reports such as the one from Paul Orum of American Progress will ultimately result in the retrofitting of the plant for the sake of the public good.

KOTW

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  • 5 months later...
Both Senator Lautenberg and Corzine mention the Kuehne Chemical plant as examples in their testimony before the U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs.

I have urged the Mayor and council to make this their top priority. In my opinion, there is no reason why this plant cannot be retrofitted in the same manner as the Kuehne Delaware plant. It has been almost three years since the Wall Street Journal Article was published. As I stated in my Letter to the Editor published in the Observer, a New York Times reporter did what my friends Frank Ferreira and Rosa Alves did almost three years ago and had a very similar result. Frank & Rosa's video is still available online. It clearly shows the vunerability of the plant. Senators Lautenberg and Corzine mention the same facts in their testimony. I believe that even the Republicans in Congress cannot vote against a loan to Kuehne Chemical to retrofit their plant. The residents of Kearny deserve as much respect as the residents of Delaware. This issue is a Kearny issue. Although Mayor Santos agreed with me that Kuehne must be addressed, he suggested only that we write our federal officials. I agree in part but Senator Corzine and Lautenberg know the facts already and have been fighting for us already. What we need is to think outside the box. I suggested at the council meeting that the Mayor and Council meet with officials of Kuehne Chemical and ask them what they need to increase their security. What funding do they need? What are they willing to do to retrofit the plant? What will it cost? Then go and put together funding to accomplish the task. This can be a model for other chemical plants throughout NJ and the United States. The terrorist attacks have changed our capitalist system as it relates to chemical plants. We must have a modified capitalist system where Government is a partner in chemical companies.

John M. Pinho

I am not sure it has ever been done but I couldn't help but quote my own post of over 4 years ago. This week Rose Duger of the Jersey Journal wrote a story entitled $1 M grant to beef up South Kearny Security. In the article Mayor Alberto Santos "hailed the grant as important to the security of Kearny and surrounding areas, he called the new security system a stopgap measure. The mayor has been a proponent of forcing the chemical manufacturer to retrofit the plant with safer technology that would require less chlorine to be stored at the site." He is quoted as saying "Ultimately, I think the technology of this plant needs to be retrofitted," he said. "This is not the ultimate solution."

I am glad that the Mayor has come around to supporting the idea of retrofitting the plant. This has not always been his position. When former Councilwoman Rosa Alves, Frank Ferreira, and I brought this very important topic to his attention, Mayor Santos stated at town public meetings that we were "grandstanding". We were not grandstanding, we were concerned. I am so glad that the Mayor now understands the importance and urgency of getting funding to retrofit the Kuehne Chemical plant. If he asks I will support his efforts to make the retrofit a reality.

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Guest I was there
I am not sure it has ever been done but I couldn't help but quote my own post of over 4 years ago. This week Rose Duger of the Jersey Journal wrote a story entitled $1 M grant to beef up South Kearny Security. In the article Mayor Alberto Santos "hailed the grant as important to the security of Kearny and surrounding areas, he called the new security system a stopgap measure. The mayor has been a proponent of forcing the chemical manufacturer to retrofit the plant with safer technology that would require less chlorine to be stored at the site." He is quoted as saying "Ultimately, I think the technology of this plant needs to be retrofitted," he said. "This is not the ultimate solution."

I am glad that the Mayor has come around to supporting the idea of retrofitting the plant. This has not always been his position. When former Councilwoman Rosa Alves, Frank Ferreira, and I brought this very important topic to his attention, Mayor Santos stated at town public meetings that we were "grandstanding". We were not grandstanding, we were concerned. I am so glad that the Mayor now understands the importance and urgency of getting funding to retrofit the Kuehne Chemical plant. If he asks I will support his efforts to make the retrofit a reality.

Nope, you were grandstanding. What did any of you do following your trespassing "stunt" on the site and then running to the Observer?

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Guest Town Watch
I am not sure it has ever been done but I couldn't help but quote my own post of over 4 years ago. This week Rose Duger of the Jersey Journal wrote a story entitled $1 M grant to beef up South Kearny Security. In the article Mayor Alberto Santos "hailed the grant as important to the security of Kearny and surrounding areas, he called the new security system a stopgap measure. The mayor has been a proponent of forcing the chemical manufacturer to retrofit the plant with safer technology that would require less chlorine to be stored at the site." He is quoted as saying "Ultimately, I think the technology of this plant needs to be retrofitted," he said. "This is not the ultimate solution."

I am glad that the Mayor has come around to supporting the idea of retrofitting the plant. This has not always been his position. When former Councilwoman Rosa Alves, Frank Ferreira, and I brought this very important topic to his attention, Mayor Santos stated at town public meetings that we were "grandstanding". We were not grandstanding, we were concerned. I am so glad that the Mayor now understands the importance and urgency of getting funding to retrofit the Kuehne Chemical plant. If he asks I will support his efforts to make the retrofit a reality.

Well said John, sounds like the Mayor is grandstanding to me!!!!! What a double talker!!!!!

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Nope, you were grandstanding. What did any of you do following your trespassing "stunt" on the site and then running to the Observer?

If I was grandstanding, the Mayor is grandstanding now. I was not grandstanding then, nor is the Mayor grandstanding now. Mayor Santos is expressing some 6 years later the same concern that I was expressing in 2003: conventional security isn't the ultimate answer for Kuehne. A retrofit is.

So the record is clear, nobody trespassed on the Kuehne chemical plant. The video taken by Frank Ferreira in ~2003 was done from the street. It showed a main gate ajar with a gapping hole. When Jonathan Dienst of NBC went out to the Kuehne Chemical Plant in 2006 nobody challenged him. Dienst's producer called me at my office to let me know that they were outside Kuehne filming and the gate was wide open. I told them that Kearny Police were patrolling and would surely be there shortly. They assured me that no security was present and that I could come down for an interview and see for myself. I did. They were right.

I haven't been down to Kuehne since. I think about it on occasion. If the topic comes up, I passionately discuss the need and rational for a retrofit of the plant. I just hope that Mayor Santos, council members, Freeholder Cifelli, Governor Corzine, Assemblywoman Quigley and Assemblyman Prieto, Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, Congressman Rothman, other elected officials, Kuehne's management, and members of the public, get together to lobby for funding for a retrofit of Kuehne plant. Kuehne should repay from profits over a number of years some of the cost of the retrofit. A formula can be worked out between the parties.

Let me be clear, what Frank Ferreira and former Councilwoman Rosa Alves did in 2003 was admirable and in the interest of the public good. The characterization by Mayor Santos and some council members that we were grandstanding was irresponsible, unprofessional and politically motivated. Putting what happened in the past aside, I am glad that Mayor Santos has changed his mind and is supporting retrofitting the plant. We will all be more secure when that is accomplished. I hope he invites us to the ribbon cutting ceremony outside the Kuehne Chemical Plant. I'll have Frank bring his video camera.

John M. Pinho

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Guest Shirley U. Jest
Let me be clear, what Frank Ferreira and former Councilwoman Rosa Alves did in 2003 was admirable and in the interest of the public good. The characterization by Mayor Santos and some council members that we were grandstanding was irresponsible, unprofessional and politically motivated. Putting what happened in the past aside, I am glad that Mayor Santos has changed his mind and is supporting retrofitting the plant. We will all be more secure when that is accomplished. I hope he invites us to the ribbon cutting ceremony outside the Kuehne Chemical Plant. I'll have Frank bring his video camera.

John M. Pinho

The Mayor and Council were politically motivated? Paaaaleeeeeze! Frank and Rosa lived to embarrass Santos. They spent every waking moment conniving and plotting against him. Whether their "expose" was a true perception of the situation is debatable but no one with half a brain ever questioned their motives---which were anything but noble. But you know, life has a way of balancing out. Santos is still going strong and the Ferreiras are but a faded memory.

If Frank Ferreira ever shows his face in Kearny again, he's got more b***s than I ever gave him credit for.

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Guest I was there
If I was grandstanding, the Mayor is grandstanding now. I was not grandstanding then, nor is the Mayor grandstanding now. Mayor Santos is expressing some 6 years later the same concern that I was expressing in 2003: conventional security isn't the ultimate answer for Kuehne. A retrofit is.

So the record is clear, nobody trespassed on the Kuehne chemical plant. The video taken by Frank Ferreira in ~2003 was done from the street. It showed a main gate ajar with a gapping hole. When Jonathan Dienst of NBC went out to the Kuehne Chemical Plant in 2006 nobody challenged him. Dienst's producer called me at my office to let me know that they were outside Kuehne filming and the gate was wide open. I told them that Kearny Police were patrolling and would surely be there shortly. They assured me that no security was present and that I could come down for an interview and see for myself. I did. They were right.

I haven't been down to Kuehne since. I think about it on occasion. If the topic comes up, I passionately discuss the need and rational for a retrofit of the plant. I just hope that Mayor Santos, council members, Freeholder Cifelli, Governor Corzine, Assemblywoman Quigley and Assemblyman Prieto, Senators Lautenberg and Menendez, Congressman Rothman, other elected officials, Kuehne's management, and members of the public, get together to lobby for funding for a retrofit of Kuehne plant. Kuehne should repay from profits over a number of years some of the cost of the retrofit. A formula can be worked out between the parties.

Let me be clear, what Frank Ferreira and former Councilwoman Rosa Alves did in 2003 was admirable and in the interest of the public good. The characterization by Mayor Santos and some council members that we were grandstanding was irresponsible, unprofessional and politically motivated. Putting what happened in the past aside, I am glad that Mayor Santos has changed his mind and is supporting retrofitting the plant. We will all be more secure when that is accomplished. I hope he invites us to the ribbon cutting ceremony outside the Kuehne Chemical Plant. I'll have Frank bring his video camera.

John M. Pinho

Nope, you're still grandstanding. I repeat, what did any of you do following your "trespassing stunt" on the site and then running to the media?

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Guest Ditto
The Mayor and Council were politically motivated? Paaaaleeeeeze! Frank and Rosa lived to embarrass Santos. They spent every waking moment conniving and plotting against him. Whether their "expose" was a true perception of the situation is debatable but no one with half a brain ever questioned their motives---which were anything but noble. But you know, life has a way of balancing out. Santos is still going strong and the Ferreiras are but a faded memory.

If Frank Ferreira ever shows his face in Kearny again, he's got more b***s than I ever gave him credit for.

So true. Couldn't have said it better myself.

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Guest Guest
Nope, you're still grandstanding. I repeat, what did any of you do following your "trespassing stunt" on the site and then running to the media?

I'd kind of like to see them Try it again Now....... Of course between KPD, NJSP, and USCG who do random, roving patrols of the property it might get a little "Exciting" for their little exercise..but for OUR amusement it'd be HUGE!!!!!

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The Mayor and Council were politically motivated? Paaaaleeeeeze! Frank and Rosa lived to embarrass Santos. They spent every waking moment conniving and plotting against him. Whether their "expose" was a true perception of the situation is debatable but no one with half a brain ever questioned their motives---which were anything but noble. But you know, life has a way of balancing out. Santos is still going strong and the Ferreiras are but a faded memory.

If Frank Ferreira ever shows his face in Kearny again, he's got more b***s than I ever gave him credit for.

If raising questions is living to embarrass Santos, then we're guilty. Mayor Santos has after 6 years come to agree with our position on the need to retrofit Kuehne. That was not his position 6 years ago when he accused us of grandstanding.

Another issue that I pointed out long ago (2003?) was the fact that Kearny was paying United Water to read water meters and United Water wasn't reading the meters. Recently (May 2009), the Mayor and Council agreed to forgive homeowners whose water meters were under read but now being billed for actual consumption. What Mayor Santos should have done was taken care of the problem back when I raised it. But if John Pinho asked a question, Mayor Santos would immediately take a defensive posture. I once joked that if you wanted something to get council approval, hire me to oppose it and it would be voted in by the Mayor and Council.

In 2003(?), I was simply pointing out what turned out to be the fact: United Water was paid to read water meters and did not read the meters they simply sent out estimated bills. Why should I as a Kearny taxpayer subsidize my neighbor not having to pay his/her water bill because the Mayor and Council didn't take the appropriate measure to have water meters read for years. Mayor Santos and the council were made aware by me of the fact that the majority of the meters were being estimated for years. Some overestimated and some under estimated. Solution: sue United Water for their failure to read the meters per their contract to make up for lost water revenue income.

How much did we pay United Water to send out estimated bills? $300,000+ per year? I could have done that from my house with a computer, a software package and a laser printer. The Mayor said he was going to study bringing the billing in house but decided to stick with United Water. Why?

Frank and Rosa have moved on. Their talent and skills are much more appreciated outside of Kearny. I thank God they are doing well. I've been Frank's friend since we were teenagers and me and him founded a youth club in Holy Cross Church in Harrison. Frank has always been ahead of the curve. I realized that early on. Nobody can question "his b**ls" (your words). He led the charge to make the Kuehne Chemical plant safer and now his goal of having the plant retrofitted may actually come to fruition. In any other town, the Mayor and Council would be honoring him and Rosa. Mayor Santos and you will never do that.

As far as what we did. We wrote letters. We went to council meetings. We publicized on the internet the danger of lax security at Kuehne. What else would you have done? Look on KOTW's Environmental page and read Frank's letter to Chief Dowie. Like I said, Frank has always been ahead of the curve.

John M. Pinho

P.S. To the readers of KOTW, please note I'm using my real name as a registered user. The other poster hasn't registered and is hiding as a Guest. I may not respond to all anonoymous Guest posts.

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  • 11 months later...
Guest Concerned

To think that this problem has been around since 2003 and we are now in 2010. Why is it that this hasn't been addressed yet? Are we waiting for another disaster before we act.

Read the front page of Kearny On the Web. It is scary.

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Guest Guest
I have news for you..it isnt 2006 Anymore. But Like I said..Go ahead and Try...it'll be Amusing to read about you in the Newspapers.

To this poster, it looks like Greenpeace tried and found lax security at your favorite chemical plant, Kuehne Chemical. Let's see if the local papers carry the story.

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Guest Guest
To this poster, it looks like Greenpeace tried and found lax security at your favorite chemical plant, Kuehne Chemical. Let's see if the local papers carry the story.

What Lax Security?? did they enter the Property?? No. All they did was take pictures. If KPD, NJSP, USCG, or anyone else had interfered with them then you people would be screaming about how their rights were being violated.

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Guest Anon Hidden Guest
If raising questions is living to embarrass Santos, then we're guilty. Mayor Santos has after 6 years come to agree with our position on the need to retrofit Kuehne. That was not his position 6 years ago when he accused us of grandstanding.

Another issue that I pointed out long ago (2003?) was the fact that Kearny was paying United Water to read water meters and United Water wasn't reading the meters. Recently (May 2009), the Mayor and Council agreed to forgive homeowners whose water meters were under read but now being billed for actual consumption. What Mayor Santos should have done was taken care of the problem back when I raised it. But if John Pinho asked a question, Mayor Santos would immediately take a defensive posture. I once joked that if you wanted something to get council approval, hire me to oppose it and it would be voted in by the Mayor and Council.

In 2003(?), I was simply pointing out what turned out to be the fact: United Water was paid to read water meters and did not read the meters they simply sent out estimated bills. Why should I as a Kearny taxpayer subsidize my neighbor not having to pay his/her water bill because the Mayor and Council didn't take the appropriate measure to have water meters read for years. Mayor Santos and the council were made aware by me of the fact that the majority of the meters were being estimated for years. Some overestimated and some under estimated. Solution: sue United Water for their failure to read the meters per their contract to make up for lost water revenue income.

How much did we pay United Water to send out estimated bills? $300,000+ per year? I could have done that from my house with a computer, a software package and a laser printer. The Mayor said he was going to study bringing the billing in house but decided to stick with United Water. Why?

Frank and Rosa have moved on. Their talent and skills are much more appreciated outside of Kearny. I thank God they are doing well. I've been Frank's friend since we were teenagers and me and him founded a youth club in Holy Cross Church in Harrison. Frank has always been ahead of the curve. I realized that early on. Nobody can question "his b**ls" (your words). He led the charge to make the Kuehne Chemical plant safer and now his goal of having the plant retrofitted may actually come to fruition. In any other town, the Mayor and Council would be honoring him and Rosa. Mayor Santos and you will never do that.

As far as what we did. We wrote letters. We went to council meetings. We publicized on the internet the danger of lax security at Kuehne. What else would you have done? Look on KOTW's Environmental page and read Frank's letter to Chief Dowie. Like I said, Frank has always been ahead of the curve.

John M. Pinho

P.S. To the readers of KOTW, please note I'm using my real name as a registered user. The other poster hasn't registered and is hiding as a Guest. I may not respond to all anonoymous Guest posts.

Please don't.

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  • 3 years later...

Kuehne Still Dangerous, a new article on our front page.

It's been almost 10 years since the Kearny Kuehne plant was identified as a potential disaster. It would be interesting to find out what measures have been taken to protect citizens from a potential terrorists attack or a simple accident at the plant?

This thread goes back to November 2003. Does anyone think anything will change? Are we waiting for our house to be robbed before we install a lock on our front door?

What are your thoughts on Kuehne?

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