The facility, which holds about 24 million gallons of refrigerated, liquid propane, is a few hundred yards from busy state Highway 99 and two other industrial buildings. The closest home is a farmhouse several hundred yards away, and there is a subdivision about a half-mile from the storage tanks. The propane facility, where the liquid propane is stored in two tanks, is one of the biggest aboveground propane storage facilities in the United States, said Elk Grove Fire Chief Mark Meaker.

Suburban Propane had hired a consultant to study the danger an explosion posed, and determined the worst damage homes in the area would receive were broken windows and shaken foundations. Company officials were reported to say that because most of the fuel is stored in two non-pressurized tanks at 50 degrees below zero, the propane would likely pool within protective dirt berms and would only ignite after it had considerable time to warm and mix with the air.

This risk scenario is consistent with the EPA’s decision to modify the mandated RMP’s worst-case scenario parameters for refrigerated toxic and flammable materials in order to recognize the inherently safer technology of storing materials at atmospheric pressure. Elk Grove Fire Chief Mark Meaker disagreed with Suburban’s scenario, indicating to media representatives “there could be a blast of heat, shrapnel and other hazards spreading up to a mile.” According to reports in the San Francisco Examiner, the “giant steel tanks in rural Sacramento County hold enough liquid propane to immolate every living thing for five miles if they somehow were to explode.”

John Fletcher, a Malibu lawyer and Suburban’s California spokesman, stated in press reports that the company has opposed development around the plant for years. When the New Jersey-based company opened the storage facility in 1971, the area was mostly agricultural, but residential and other development has grown over the past decade, he said. About 15 percent of all propane sold in California passes through the facility.

Authorities believe the alleged plan was designed to exploit Y2K fears among the nation's hate groups, the Sacramento Bee reported. One suspect is a convicted felon with firearms violations; the other is unemployed and has no past criminal record but is knowledgeable in bomb making, and a large amount of explosives were found on his property, sources told the newspaper.

Managing the Terroristic Threat

Some local officials believe that the Sacramento arrests may be just the first signs of coming millennial terrorism. Industrial Fire World has recently announced that it will sponsor a conference starting 2/21/200 on "Managing the Terroristic Threat." This conference is organized in partnership with Texas A&M University and Louisiana State University fire schools, and will include participation by the Federal Bureau of Investigations, the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Guard, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the Houston Local Emergency Planning Committee, the National Response Team, and Regional Response Teams. Read more about this conference by clicking ’this link to AcuSafe's Calendar.