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Texas Commission on Environmental Quality

A latinx woman in a black t-shirt reading "Allergic to Pendebrajas" stands in her suburban neighborhjood in West Dallas.

How Texas Commission On Environmental Quality Helps Polluters Evade Federal Law

Environmental lawyers say the state watchdog agency lets polluters escape regulation through legal loopholes.

by Dylan Baddour, Martha Pskowski, and Alejandra Martinez

Keep Reading

Texas Court Strikes Down Air Pollution Permit for Gulf Coast Oil Terminal 

by Dylan Baddour

Texas Wants to Adopt Outdated Cancer Risk Standard Despite Concerns

by Dylan Baddour

How the ‘1-Mile Rule’ Protects Big Polluters from Citizen Complaints

by Dylan Baddour

An oil field in Andrews. Nov 05, 2020

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.

by Amal Ahmed

An oil refinery stands in Port Arthur, Texas, Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017. The region's economy is tied to the petroleum industry more than in any other place in America: the concentration of people here employed by refineries is 81 times higher than the rest of the country. Though research suggests most in Jefferson County believe that humans have contributed to the warming of the globe, many struggle still to know what to expect their leaders to do about it without at the same time crippling their own economy. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Jul 18, 2019

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.

by Amal Ahmed

nurdles Jul 03, 2019

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.

by Amal Ahmed

The ExxonMobil refinery in Baytown. Officials in the Virgin Islands are currently looking into whether the oil giant misled its shareholders, but Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has filed a court brief hoping to stop the investigation. May 07, 2019

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Trump’s EPA rescinded a rule that would have forced Texas to close a loophole exploited by industrial polluters in 97 percent of illegal emission events.

by Christopher Collins

Dec 28, 2017

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.

by Naveena Sadasivam

Oct 31, 2017

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.

by Naveena Sadasivam

Pregnant? Scared? CaA billboard advertises the help line for a crisis pregnancy center. n they help? Apr 07, 2017

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.

by Sophie Novack

Freeport LNG plant in Quintana. Dec 20, 2016

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.

by Naveena Sadasivam

Aug 31, 2016

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.

by Naveena Sadasivam

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