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UNCOVERED: 3 - The Untold Story

The “1-mile rule”: Texas’ unwritten, arbitrary policy protects big polluters from citizen complaints

It’s not found anywhere in state law or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s rules, but for years the agency has denied citizens the ability to challenge air pollution permits because they live more than a mile away.

The Texas Tribune

Texas has already seen 25 chemical emergencies this year. Here’s how to protect yourself during the next one.

Preparing for a chemical incident means knowing which industrial facilities are near you, creating a disaster supply kit and signing up for alerts from local emergency managers ahead of time.

The Texas Tribune

EPA will decide if the state is doing enough to reduce pollution in two East Texas counties

The federal agency has settled a lawsuit the Sierra Club brought over pollution from a coal-burning power plant. The agreement requires the EPA to weigh in on the state’s plan to improve air quality in Rusk and Panola counties.

The Texas Tribune

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West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave

When sizzling temperatures in June affected the air pressure in pipelines in West Texas, companies in five counties vented millions of pounds of natural gas and other toxins into the air.

The Texas Tribune

A Comal County ranch owner ponders selling his land, setting off another clash between property rights and environmental concerns

When the owner applied for a state permit that could pave the way for a subdivision, neighbors and environmentalists rallied against it in the name of protecting the area’s rivers and the Edwards Aquifer.

The Texas Tribune

Pipeline Operators Release or Flare Tons of Gas During June Heatwave

One company vented more than 500,000 pounds of gas toxins into the air during 17 events over a week-long period of extreme heat in June.

Texas Observer

Dow’s River

Dow chemical company holds all the cards on the Brazos River. Part of the Observer's "Drifting Toward Disaster" series on Texas waterways.

Texas Observer

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State environmental agency proposes new rules for concrete plants in Texas

The TCEQ has proposed changes to concrete batch plant permits including lowering production limits, reducing dust coming from plants and setting minimum distance requirements from nearby communities.

The Texas Tribune

Over 20 Years, Texas Allowed 1 Billion Pounds Excess Emissions

So-called "excess" emissions have ballooned in Texas, thanks to an almost total lack of enforcement, report Grist and Science Friday.

Texas Observer

A billion-pound problem: How unchecked “excess emissions” ballooned in Texas

Over the last two decades, state regulators have allowed companies to release more than a billion pounds of excess pollution.

The Texas Tribune

Fossil fuels got a boost from lawmakers aiming to fix Texas’ grid, while renewable energy escaped stricter regulations

The bills will give owners of natural gas power plants incentives to build more capacity, but they don’t go as far as originally proposed to change how electricity is created and sold in the Texas market.

The Texas Tribune

Climate proposals withered at the Texas Capitol this year

Proposals to improve energy efficiency failed. Bills that sought to limit greenhouse gas emissions in Texas were ignored, and legislation to block cities from taking action on climate change passed.

The Texas Tribune

Texas House moves to crack down on polluters with stricter penalties and heavier oversight

The 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 “modest” in its reach.

The Texas Tribune

Houston-area chemical fire highlights gaps in Texas environmental enforcement

A fire broke out at a Deer Park Shell plant the day after a public hearing on renewing the permit for ITC, a nearby facility that caught fire in 2019, sparking a Texas Tribune/Public Health Watch investigation that documented failures in state and federal oversight.

The Texas Tribune

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The Texas Tribune

Shell refinery unit in Deer Park had history of malfunctions before fire

Recent “upsets” like tripped compressors, pressure loss and freezing weather resulted in thousands of pounds of unauthorized pollution but no fines or citations from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

Texas Observer

Houston-area Shell Refinery Had Troubled History Before Fire

Before the fire at the Shell refinery, "upsets" like tripped compressors, pressure loss and more resulted in thousands of pounds of pollution.

The Texas Tribune

At a heated public hearing, residents urge state agency to reject permit for chemical facility that burned in 2019

In Deer Park near Houston, memories of the massive ITC fire are still fresh. Residents told state environmental regulators they should reject the company’s permit renewal, but officials said the fire won’t be part of the decision.

Capital & Main

Following Internal Review of Texas Environmental Regulators, Critics Demand Reform

Watchdogs call for creation of an environmental justice office, better monitoring of Clean Air Act violations.

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Capital & Main

Internal Review of Texas Environmental Regulators Finds ‘Distrust and Confusion’

Critics call for removal of state agency’s economic mandate.

The Texas Tribune

Toxic benzene lingered for weeks after shelter-in-place warnings ended following 2019 Houston-area chemical fire

The Texas Tribune analyzed previously unreported air monitoring data and records from the 2019 ITC chemical disaster near Houston and found that high benzene levels lingered in the air for two weeks after public health measures were lifted. Experts say more shelter-in-place advisories should have been issued.

The Texas Tribune

For years, the EPA and Texas ignored warning signs at a chemical storage site. Then an inferno erupted.

Regulators repeatedly documented — but did little to address — problems at a Houston-area tank farm. Then on March 17, 2019, a fire blew through a corner of the facility, releasing toxic chemicals into nearby communities for weeks.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Senate seeks increased penalties on polluters as it renews state’s environmental agency

The bill would require the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality to focus enforcement on repeat violators and increase public outreach.

The Texas Tribune

Senator’s bill would fine Texans for multiple environmental complaints that don’t lead to enforcement

The bill would impose fines when residents make more than three complaints to the state environmental agency in a year if they don’t result in enforcement action. Critics warn the bill would discourage people from reporting pollution.

The Independent UK

Newly active Texas sinkhole unearths forgotten fears in some

A massive sinkhole in the Southeast Texas town of Daisetta had been dormant since first appearing in 2008

The Texas Tribune

Environmental group says Texas fails to hold repeat polluters accountable for unexpected emissions

A new report found that companies in Texas have had 21,000 unexpected pollution releases that emitted 400,000 tons of air pollution over six years, but only 1% of them prompted action by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.

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