INSIDER
How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollution
Read full article: How we assisted Houston residents in monitoring air quality and reporting pollutionAfter identifying flaws in the stateโs air monitoring, the Tribune hosted workshops to inform Houston Ship Channel communities.
Over 2,000 residents in East Houston face health hazard due to petrochemical plant
Read full article: Over 2,000 residents in East Houston face health hazard due to petrochemical plantThe emissions from the plant pose significant health risks such as asthma, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases to the nearby households.
Gulf Coast petrochemical growth draws billions in tax breaks despite pollution violations
Read full article: Gulf Coast petrochemical growth draws billions in tax breaks despite pollution violationsA new report by the Environmental Integrity Project compiled data on every U.S. plastics plant built, expanded or proposed since 2012, revealing massive growth in Texas.
Neglected and exposed: Toxic air lingers in a Texas Latino community, revealing failures in stateโs air monitoring system
Read full article: Neglected and exposed: Toxic air lingers in a Texas Latino community, revealing failures in stateโs air monitoring systemPublic data from a network of state air monitors around the Houston Ship Channel is hard to interpret and is often inadequate, leaving Latino-majority neighborhoods like Cloverleaf unaware of whether the air they breathe is safe.
The EPA sets tougher national soot standards. These 10 Texas counties already exceed them.
Read full article: The EPA sets tougher national soot standards. These 10 Texas counties already exceed them.Some environmental experts are skeptical that Texas can meet the new rules on particulate matter, which can cause serious respiratory problems.
Texas will have to cut methane emissions from oil fields under new federal climate rule
Read full article: Texas will have to cut methane emissions from oil fields under new federal climate ruleThe Biden Administration announced a crackdown on methane emissions, a major driver of climate change. Major oil and gas companies also signed on to a voluntary net-zero commitment.
EPAโs inspector general says agency isnโt enforcing benzene pollution rules at refineries in Texas, nationally
Read full article: EPAโs inspector general says agency isnโt enforcing benzene pollution rules at refineries in Texas, nationallyA report by the federal environmental agencyโs internal watchdog found that EPA is failing to enforce its own pollution limits for the known carcinogen at many refineries โ including some in Texas.
Texas House moves to crack down on polluters with stricter penalties and heavier oversight
Read full article: Texas House moves to crack down on polluters with stricter penalties and heavier oversightThe bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to focus enforcement and increase penalties on repeat violators and increase public outreach. Still, environmental advocates say the effort was too โmodestโ in its reach.
Senatorโs bill would fine Texans for multiple environmental complaints that donโt lead to enforcement
Read full article: Senatorโs bill would fine Texans for multiple environmental complaints that donโt lead to enforcementThe bill would impose fines when residents make more than three complaints to the state environmental agency in a year if they donโt result in enforcement action. Critics warn the bill would discourage people from reporting pollution.
EPA says it is looking for โsuper-emittersโ of methane gas in Texasโ Permian Basin
Read full article: EPA says it is looking for โsuper-emittersโ of methane gas in Texasโ Permian BasinThe federal environment agency says it will continue flyovers of the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico until Aug. 15 using infrared cameras to survey oil and gas operations.
The EPA has identified 23 U.S. facilities that are emitting toxic air pollution that puts people at risk
Read full article: The EPA has identified 23 U.S. facilities that are emitting toxic air pollution that puts people at riskOne of them is in Laredo, which has elevated rates of cancer, according to a recent state analysis. The findings come after reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
Smog levels in Texas surge during heat wave, bringing worst summer air quality in a decade
Read full article: Smog levels in Texas surge during heat wave, bringing worst summer air quality in a decadeEmissions are reacting with the summer heat to create high levels of smog, hazardous air pollution that damages the lungs. But state officials are pushing back on ozone pollution controls proposed by the EPA, arguing such rules would compromise the electric grid.
U.S. Supreme Court ruling limits EPAโs authority in regulating greenhouse gases
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court ruling limits EPAโs authority in regulating greenhouse gasesThe high court said a cap on power plantsโ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a โsensibleโ solution to the climate crisis, but that Congress did not give the Environmental Protection Agency the broad authority to make such requirements. Texas was one of 17 states that joined in the suit.
EPA seeks more smog controls in Houston, Dallas after they fail to meet standards
Read full article: EPA seeks more smog controls in Houston, Dallas after they fail to meet standardsThe Houston and Dallas regions may soon be designated as โsevereโ violators of federal smog rules, which would prompt more aggressive regulations.
Climate change is making Texas hotter, threatening public health, water supply and the stateโs infrastructure
Read full article: Climate change is making Texas hotter, threatening public health, water supply and the stateโs infrastructureA report from the state climatologist finds that the state is experiencing hotter days with less relief from high temperatures at night.
Toxic formaldehyde levels found in the air in neighborhoods near Houston Ship Channel
Read full article: Toxic formaldehyde levels found in the air in neighborhoods near Houston Ship ChannelAir pollution monitoring in 2019 and 2020 show levels of formaldehyde, a known carcinogen, in neighborhoods along the Houston Ship Channel that pose health threats to the largely Hispanic residents living in that area.
State agency unveils new technology aimed at closing air quality monitoring gap
Read full article: State agency unveils new technology aimed at closing air quality monitoring gapHOUSTON โ Channel 2 Investigates uncovered a lapse in a safety net that so many of our communities depend on. A gap in air quality monitoring where dangerous chemicals could be released into the air. Nearly two months after our report, the Texas Commission On Environmental Quality is unveiling new technology aimed at improving that effort. Network of 200 Stationary Air MonitorsOne of the criticisms has been, right before a hurricane rolls in, the fixed air monitoring stations would go offline when theyโre needed most as plants and refineries burn off excess chemicals as theyโre being shut down. โGet real time data about the air, not just where our stationary air monitors are but all around the facility is going to be a game changer for us,โ Baker said.
This Texas-based company sells dog masks to protect pets against coronavirus, smoke, dust and other air pollutants
Read full article: This Texas-based company sells dog masks to protect pets against coronavirus, smoke, dust and other air pollutantsHOUSTON An Austin-based company, the Good Air Team have designed dog masks that protect pets from toxins in the air. The K9 Mask provides N95 air filter protection against smoke, dust, bacteria, smog and other air pollutants, the company says. In 2019, Evan Daugherty and Kirby Holmes, the co-owners of the Good Air Team, launched a fully-funded Kickstarter campaign. The Good Air Team started in 2015 as an educational website about the damages of global air pollution and the solution of wearing a pollution air mask. The duo launched Pollution Air Mask, which protects people from air pollution using stylish designs with innovative face mask technology.