FEMA OKs W.Va. Chemical Spill Request, Denies Another

Federal officials have approved a funding request by Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin related to the January chemical spill in Charleston.
 
But Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate refused to consider the event a “major disaster.”
 
The request approved Thursday allows first responders, public agencies in nine counties and certain nonprofit groups to apply for grants in order to recoup costs incurred after the Jan. 9 spill. The decision came after the state appealed an earlier denial of the request.
 
The costs must have been incurred from Jan. 9 to Jan. 20.
 
The denial of the request for a major disaster declaration was an attempt by the state to receive additional federal funding.
 

The chemical spill spurred a water-use ban for days for 300,000 West Virginians.