TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) The Kansas Fire Marshal is drawing fire for his efforts to reinstate oversight of the explosive industry in the state.
The fire marshal lost legal authority to issue permits to explosive industry operators in 2010, when an assistant attorney general mistakenly deleted the authority for the agency to do so. Temporary rules were imposed June 28.
On Monday, Fire Marshal Doug Jorgensen told a Kansas legislative committee the problem could be permanently fixed by adopting the latest edition of the National Fire Protection Association’s explosive materials code.
However, industry representatives told the committee the rules were too complicated. And they said they had expected to have input into the new rule book.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a public hearing on the rules is scheduled for Sept. 11.
