The state could issue its own decree to speed things up, but officials are downplaying that possibility. If the government does its part, then so will the business. In the meantime, trucks continue to rumble daily from the downtown facility to distribute 4-foot tanks that are frequently used for heating purposes. When the new site opens, the trucks will load the tanks in the Valle Redondo. The company also packs the gas into smaller tanks that can be carried by hand and are generally used for cooking.
Many residents go to the plant and pick up the tanks themselves.
State officials say the smaller tanks will probably still be distributed from the downtown location. In the past 10 years, Tijuana's civil protection crews have responded to two incidents at the plant. One was a small fire, the other a tank explosion that killed one worker and injured another. Observers say those accidents could have been much worse. Tijuana city civil protection crews believe a major explosion at the facility would kill many people and force the evacuation of as many as 75,000.