A team of reporters from the Wall Street Journal has investigated the massive explosion at the Imperial Sugar Co. refinery in Georgia and concluded that a lack of local government inspections, attention from the plants’ owners, and federal government oversight combined to create the fireball that ignited on Feb. 7, 2008.  The problem, as Paulo Prada, Betsy McKay and Stephanie Chen write, was "all because of dust." (more…)

China is committing $10 billion to building highways and infrastructure in Congo "in exchange for lucrative mining concessions," according to Stephanie McCrummen in the Washington Post.  Chinese companies will make a profit and the PRC will be perceived — if all goes well — as a bringer of prosperity to a major African country.  China — not the World Bank, nor the IMF, and certainly not the United States of America, which could afford to underwrite many more such projects if we weren’t hemmorhaging money to pay for "post-war" reconstruction in Iraq.  True, the U.S. is not sitting idly — for example, a major project for Indian infrastructure is underway.  But China seems to have a lock on projects that kick-start economies in Africa, bringing foreign policy and economic benefits to China from that continent for decades to come.  This is the way empires have been built since Rome was great.  Put in more prosaic terms, you have to spend money to make money.  Major countries that neglect these kinds of overseas investments may soon enough see their own infrastructure crumbling.

Ned Hodgman

Facing a lawsuit from environmentalists to take action, the EPA announced its first lead air concentration standards in 30 years. As the New York Times’ Matthew Wald explains, lead is a much greater problem in gasoline. But in some communities, close to steel foundries or mining operations, dangerous levels of lead can exist.

Like any EPA regulation story, the new lead standards cannot be complete with the following: The agency overruled the unanimous recommendations of its scientists who called for a stricter standard.  Read Wald here.  MB

Not according to a Dept. of Education study released yesterday on President’s Bush “Reading First” program. The controversial provision, which is part of No Child Left Behind, is meant to teach reading to low-income children. But it’s not, according to a report requested by Congress, where researchers followed children between first and third grade.

The New York Times’ Sam Dillon reports that even pro-NCLB Democrats like Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) have blasted Reading First and cut funding. Reading First wasn’t helped when in 2006 former director Chris Doherty called critics “dirtbags” who were “trying to crash our party.” Read Dillon here. MB

The Washington Post’s Carol D. Leonnig details a troubling audit by the Interior Dept’s inspector general on unsafe parks, dams, schools and fish hatcheries. For example, there could be dangerous levels of carbon monoxide around a Yosemite Park tunnel. Thirteen schools run by the Interior on American Indian reservations have shoddy conditions. Agency employees work in often hazardous conditions and six percent reported injuries in 2006.

The audit sounds bad, but in one way it’s an example of good government. Interior has given Inspector General Earl Devaney the green light to provide uncensored reports. While the Dept. may have many current problems, it’s at least working to prevent even bigger ones.  Read Leonnig here.  MB

At a Congressional hearing Tuesday, Democratic leaders declared that the FDA should get $300 million to inspect foreign manufacturers of drugs. It now gets $10 million. Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, said at the hearing that $250 million would be sufficient to do foreign inspections. In other words, it’s less than Congress’s number — but an admission the agency needs much, much more money than it’s getting.

But the Wall Street Journal’s Alicia Mundy reports that at a hearing yesterday Woodcock backed off on her statement. Perhaps someone reminded Woodcock that it’s impolitic to recognize regulatory agencies often don’t have the money to perform their mandate.  Read Mundy here.  MB