State Agency Deems Eastman Not At Fault…In October Explosion

It appears a thirty year old, malfunctioning valve is the most likely cause of an explosion that rocked Kingsport’s Eastman Chemical Company last October. The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has concluded its investigation and determined the huge chemical manufacaturer was not at fault and could not have prevented the explosion. The report blames the blast on a blocked, thirty year old valve that Eastman says will be replaced with a new, more reliable automatic valve. The agency placed no fines against Eastman since the explosion was caused by a malfunction.