A Texas agency that maintains records on chemical stockpiles has stopped disclosing records.
This includes records on storage of ammonium nitrate, the fertilizer that exploded at a facility in West last year, killing 15 people.
The Dallas Morning News reports the Attorney General's office has ruled the Texas Department of State Health Services should not release the information unless instructed to do so.
This was prompted by similar rulings Attorney General Greg Abbott made when information on ammonium nitrate stockpiles was requested from other state agencies. He cited a post-Sept. 11 security statute that requires keeping confidential information that could "assist in the construction of an explosive weapon."
A federal task force recently urged President Barack Obama to make more information public to improve safety. It mentioned the West explosion.
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