(Craig Malisow/Houston Press) 
In 2003, just weeks after the U.S. declared war on Iraq, workers for Houston-based KBR were busy trying to restore the invaded nation’s oil industry.
Under a contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, part of KBR’s job was to restore a dilapidated water-injection facility in the south. American and British troops provided security. It didn’t take long before KBR employees and soldiers complained of bloody noses, trouble breathing, and rashes. And it also didn’t take long to figure out that parts of the facility were contaminated with sodium dichromate, a chemical that contains hexavalent chromium, a carcinogenic that most people might know from the movie Erin Brockovich.
You might think that health and safety officers from both KBR and the Corps would act quickly to remove the stuff, test the workers and soldiers, and provide protective gear. Instead, it appears that both sides tried to shift the burden onto each other while figuring out how to best adopt a CYA strategy. (Read the full cover story in the Houston Press)
OTHER HEADLINES:
- Doctors ‘Disgruntled’ And Frustrated By Looming Medicare Cuts (KUHF Public Radio)
- Some Texans Want More Preparation Time For STAAR Test Takers (KUHF Public Radio)
- Nonprofits Lobby for Renewal of Tax Credits (Roll Call)
- Fracturing ‘Has No Direct’ Link to Water Pollution, UT Study Finds (Fuel Fix)
- U.S. Pushes to Cut Emissions of Some Pollutants That Hasten Climate Change (New York Times)
OPINIONS OF NOTE:
- Eric Berger: In the Climate Advocacy Wars, The Biggest Casualty is Reality (Houston Chronicle)
- Steve Zwick: Heartland Feels The Heat Over Anti-Science Climate Change Strategy (Forbes)