Articles tagged: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality
Illegal Air Pollution is Skyrocketing in Texas, But State Regulators are Ignoring Complaints
An environmental watchdog submitted evidence of dozens of violations, but the state’s environmental agency rarely followed up.
It’s no secret that in the Permian Basin, one of the world’s most productive oil and gas fields, pollution is everywhere. Industrial facilities burn off so ...Read More
TCEQ Report Could Pave the Way for Chemical Plants to Emit More Hazardous Air Pollutants
A new assessment from the agency downplays the risks of ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen.
When the wind blows across Port Arthur, a predominantly African American city on the Gulf Coast, it’s likely carrying toxic gasses like carbon monoxide, sulfu...Read More
Nurdle by Nurdle, Citizens Took on A Billion-Dollar Plastic Company — and Won
A federal judge ruled that a “serial” polluter in Lavaca Bay can face more than $100 million in penalties.
A federal judge ruled last Thursday that Formosa Plastics, a petrochemical company outside Port Lavaca, can be held liable for violating state and federal water...Read More
The EPA Told Texas to Crack Down on Dangerous Air Emissions in 2015. The State Never Did, and Now It Won’t Have to.
Trump’s EPA rescinded a rule that would have forced Texas to close a loophole exploited by industrial polluters in 97 percent of illegal emission events.
May, 22, 2015, was a red-letter day for Hilton Kelley. The 58-year-old environmental justice activist was on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., 1,300 miles from ...Read More
Latest Texan to Join Trump’s EPA is Still Deciding if She Believes in Climate Change
Anne Idsal, a 34-year-old Baylor graduate whose family has long worked in GOP politics, said she’s unsure of the extent that humans impact climate change.
When the Trump administration announced the appointment of Anne Idsal as the new regional EPA administrator, Adrian Shelley, the director of Public Citizen Texa...Read More
Texas Toxicologist Who Rejects Basic Science Appointed to EPA Science Board
The Trump administration continues to scout Texas officials who’ve repeatedly attacked the very policies that they’re now charged with implementing.
The Trump administration’s continues to scout Texas officials who’ve repeatedly attacked the very policies that they’re now charged with implementing....Read More
Texas Lawmakers Vote to Take Millions from Clean Air to Fund Anti-Abortion Program
'This is not a pro-life amendment, this is a pro-birth amendment. After that you’re on your own,' one Democrat said.
'This is not a pro-life amendment, this is a pro-birth amendment. After that you’re on your own,' one Democrat said....Read More
The Five Foulest Texas Environmental Stories of 2016
Lowlights include failing to track chemical spills during floods and rejecting the link between earthquakes and fracking.
Thanks to investigative reporting, this year we learned of new ways the powerful in this state are messing with Texas. From failing to oversee toxic waste injec...Read More
Oil and Gas Smog Projected to Cause 140,000 Asthma Attacks in Kids
Emissions from the oil and gas industry will be responsible for a number of negative health effects in 2025, according to the environmental group Clean Air Task Force.
Emissions from the oil and gas industry will be responsible for a number of negative health effects in 2025, according to the environmental group Clean Air Task...Read More