Why, he asks, shouldn't chemical or fertilizer companies, long on the sidelines of the world's trading pits, easily buy and sell contracts to manage risk, much as farmers do?
Ms. Monforton said she didn't think the West Fertilizer Co. facility that exploded Wednesday night in West, Texas, was "going to be on OSHA's radar screen" because it apparently had few employees, despite the fact that it stored highly combustible anhydrous ammonia.