Tag Archives: TCEQ
Port of Corpus Christi Pushes Ahead with Oil Terminal Project, Environment Be Damned
As the agency courts tankers that can carry 2.2 million barrels of crude each, activists worry that the plan could spoil the habitats of the aquatic species that thrive here.
In the middle of the Texas Gulf Coast, among a constellation of barrier islands where thousands of Texans come to fish, boat and play each year, lies one of the...Read More
TCEQ is Finally Doing Something About an East Texas Polluter
After years of inaction, the state environmental agency is poised to force German Pellets to install pollution controls at its Woodville processing plant.
One day in late November, a cloud of white smoke swept through Woodville, a small East Texas town of 2,500 about 55 miles north of Beaumont. It was a moment tha...Read More
Exxon Appears to Mislead State to Secure Tax Break
In an application for a tax break from the Texas comptroller’s office, Exxon inaccurately claimed it hadn’t applied for any other permits for the facility.
In an effort to secure about $65 million in tax breaks, Exxon appears to have misled the state about how far along it was in deciding where to build a $1.9 bill...Read More
Jury Finds TCEQ Did Not Discriminate Against Former Employee
State employees testified that Shiyan Jiang, the plaintiff, was argumentative, dismissive and insulting to other staff.
On Thursday, an eight-member jury sided with the state and found that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Kim Wilson, one of the agency’s direct...Read More
Government Asks Court for More Time To Fix Houston’s Decades-Long Sewage Problem
A lawsuit by state and federal authorities could ultimately delay a fix to Houston’s widespread sewage leaks, which disproportionately affect minority and poor communities, advocates say.
Houston has a sewage problem. In the last five years, the city has self-reported more than 9,300 instances of untreated sewage overflowing from its sewer system...Read More
Former TCEQ Employee Files Race and Age Discrimination Lawsuit Against Agency
Shiyan Jiang, who worked at TCEQ for 23 years, says he was repeatedly passed over for promotions and assignments given to younger, white employees.
On April 29, 2016, Shiyan Jiang learned he was being fired from his job at the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Jiang, then 71, had been a hydrologist...Read More
Industrial Wood Processor Accused of Making East Texans Sick May Get to Pollute Even More
Residents near German Pellets facilities in Woodville and Port Arthur allege that air pollution and fires have made them sick, but the state regulatory agency has done little to help, the Sierra Club says.
In late 2014, Lisa Sanchez and her husband, Tony, sold their 13-acre ranchette in The Woodlands, where they lived in a single-wide trailer and raised rescue hor...Read More
No Resolution in Sight For Ranchers and Farmers Fighting Over San Saba River
The prolonged battle has highlighted a major flaw in Texas water management: State policies mostly don’t recognize the connection between surface water and groundwater.
Why is a 40-mile stretch of the San Saba river running dry during the summers? That was the central question at a Texas House Natural Resources Committee hearin...Read More
Dirtying the Waters: Texas Ranks First in Violating Water Pollution Rules
A new report raises questions about whether TCEQ is doing enough to protect the state’s water.
Texas has a dirty secret. Its industries are routinely violating environmental laws by dumping excess chemicals and human waste into its rivers and bays, often ...Read More