WEATHER ALERT
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.
Texas companies reported releasing 1 million pounds of excess pollution during recent cold snap
Read full article: Texas companies reported releasing 1 million pounds of excess pollution during recent cold snapCalled “upset” events, companies are required to tell the state when they emit pollution above what their permits allow.
Black and Hispanic Lubbock residents want federal intervention in zoning, environmental polices
Read full article: Black and Hispanic Lubbock residents want federal intervention in zoning, environmental policesA new federal complaint comes as the city updates its zoning laws for the first time since the 1970s.
A Texas energy company will pay $1.3 million over pollution in the Permian Basin, EPA says
Read full article: A Texas energy company will pay $1.3 million over pollution in the Permian Basin, EPA saysThe EPA last year announced aerial surveillance of “super-emitters.” At least one other company in New Mexico faced a similar fine.
After cancer-causing chemicals were found in Fifth Ward soil, Houston mayor says cleanup plans are inadequate
Read full article: After cancer-causing chemicals were found in Fifth Ward soil, Houston mayor says cleanup plans are inadequateThe city’s health department found dioxins in soil samples along the fence line of a Union Pacific rail yard. Mayor Sylvester Turner said during the 2022 Texas Tribune Festival that plans to clean up the contamination should now include relocating residents.
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.
U.S. Supreme Court ruling limits EPA’s authority in regulating greenhouse gases
Read full article: U.S. Supreme Court ruling limits EPA’s authority in regulating greenhouse gasesThe high court said a cap on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a “sensible” 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.