Citing Safety Concerns Trump Orders Homeland Security, BIA Closure of Elk Grove Propane Tanks

April 1, 2017 |

In blow to Elk Grove's fledgling beer industry, Russian brewer to buy tanks |

As the tallest structures in the area, the twin propane tanks on Grant Line Road have acted as one of Elk Grove's most identifiable landmarks since their construction in the late 1960s. While the towers have served as a landmark, they have also acted as a beacon for domestic terrorists who plotted their explosion in the late 1990s. 

Citing these and other concerns, late last night President Donald Trump took to Twitter and called the largest above-ground propane storage tanks in North America as "unsafe for gamblers #InElkGrove" and "pathetic." A Whitehouse spokesperson clarified the tweet saying Trump will immediately order the Department of Homeland Security, in conjunction with the Department of Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs, to seize control of the highly explosive propane tanks through eminent domain.

The removal of the propane tanks is an unexpected early April gift for the Wilton Rancheria, who, with the help of Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming, hopes to build their 12-story $400-million casino resort within the tanks blast radius. Studies have shown the proposed casino, which is about a quarter mile geographically from the tanks, would sustain high casualties in the event of an explosion. 

In public testimony, placement of the casino near the highly explosive propane tanks has been criticized, with the Elk Grove City Council and Bureau of Indian Affairs routinely dismissive of those safety concerns. The main criticism is that with a large gathering of people at the casino, the tanks will become an attractive terrorist target.

With Trump's move, those concerns are now mitigated and the Wilton Rancheria has removed one of the obstacles as it pursues groundbreaking. While the order will benefit the casino effort, the removal of the tanks could negatively affect Elk Grove's fledgling beer brewing industry.

In a separate announcement, the Russian brewer Nevskoe Imperial said it will purchase the tanks for storage of hops and vodka, and an eventual brewery they hope to open by the end of this year. In honor of their first brewery on American soil, located in Elk Grove, the company announced that on the next April Fools Day, 2018 it would debut its newest creation, Elk ссать.