New bill on West blast would delay new rules

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The massive fertilizer plant explosion that killed 15 people last year is unlikely to meaningfully change regulatory or safety rules in Texas until at least 2016 under the latest bill offered Tuesday by lawmakers tasked with scrutinizing the blast.

The prospect of Texas strengthening fire safety codes or enforcing tougher standards on companies with volatile quantities of hazardous chemicals has become murky 16 months after the disaster in the rural town of West. The blast killed 12 people responding to an initial fire and leveled homes and schools blocks away.