Category Archives: Air Pollution

Premature To Remove Texas City From The Air Pollution Watch List

By | Bio | Published: May 13, 2013

Estimated Distribution of Benzene Annual Concentration, Based on Retrieved Primary Source Location and Wind Direction Frequency

Last week, EDF, along with Air Alliance Houston (AAH), submitted comments to the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reflecting why we believe the proposed removal of Texas City for the pollutants benzene and hydrogen sulfide from the state’s Air Pollution Watch List (APWL) is premature.

The APWL is a list of areas in Texas where concentrations of harmful pollutants exceed the state’s own health-based screening level guidelines. While inclusion on the list indicates that additional scrutiny is given to permits issued to facilities in the area, some of the APWL areas have been listed for over a decade. This is significant because exposure to these toxics may impact human health and may lead to serious health outcomes, such as birth defects or cancer.

EDF has been actively engaged with TCEQ to improve management of the APWL program and to renew efforts to improve air quality in hotspot areas. TCEQ first added Texas City to the Air Pollutant Watch List in 2001 because of elevated concentrations of propionaldehyde. The organization added benzene in 2003 because the annual average concentration at the Ball Park Monitor exceeded the long-term health-based Air Monitoring Comparison Value (AMCV) of 1.0 ppb.[1]  Hydrogen sulfide was then added in 2004 based on mobile and stationary monitoring data showing exceedances of the 0.08 parts per million (ppm) threshold.

TCEQ’s proposal claims that recent air monitoring information justifies the removal of Texas City from the APWL. However, new analyses completed by EDF and AAH, indicate that data from the current monitoring network are not adequate in justifying the removal of Texas City from the APWL. Here are a few reasons why:

  • Air monitoring information has not been correlated with wind direction, meaning that the existing monitoring network does not capture the predominant downwind concentrations of pollutants in neighborhoods closest to the largest sources. As illustrated in the insert, the largest concentration of benzene is expected in between the existing monitors.
  • BP Texas City: The largest emitter in the area is also the worst environmental performer. BP Texas City is ranked as the largest benzene emitter in the region, not just the state. On March 23, 2005, an explosion killed 15 employees and injured 170 as a result of workers re-starting a unit at the BP refinery that had been closed for repairs. The problem started when workers filled a tank with 138 feet of flammable liquid, when it should have been filled with only 6.5 feet of liquid. Upon further investigation, it was discovered that BP had cut costs, resulting in risky working conditions, which were likely the cause of the catastrophic event. An investigation by the Chemical Safety Board found numerous problems, including out-of-date equipment, corroded pipes, and faulty safety alarms. This explosion has been characterized as one of the worst workplace incident in the U.S. between 1989 and 2005.
  • BP Texas City II: More recently in November 2011, there were reports of gas leaks at the BP Texas City refinery. A concerned citizen initially reported a sulfur dioxide leak to the National Response Center. BP confirmed an ongoing leak of methyl mercaptan; the odor was so toxic that 30 workers from a neighboring plant downwind were taken to the hospital.

Read More »

Also posted in Air Pollutants, Benzene, TCEQ | Leave a comment

Air Quality Report: Texas Has More Work To Do

By | Bio | Published: April 25, 2013

Source: American Lung Association

Texas climbed higher among the national “worst ozone” rankings list, but most of the nation continued on a long-term trend toward much healthier air, according to the Annual State of the Air Report released this week from the American Lung Association (ALA).

The report reviewed air pollution data compiled by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for two of the most hazardous types of pollution: ozone and particle pollution.

Key National Findings:

  • More than 131 million people (42 percent of the U.S. population) live in counties that have unhealthy levels of either ozone or particle pollution.
  • Los Angeles has cut one-third of its unhealthy ozone days since first the State of the Air report came out in 2000.
  • Eighteen cities had lower year-round levels of particle pollution, including 16 cities with their lowest levels recorded.

Key Texas Findings:

  • Unfortunately Houston-Baytown-Huntsville ranked 7th place among the most ozone-polluted cities in the country, and Dallas-Fort Worth made a huge leap to 8th place nationally from 13th place just two years ago. Harris County also failed with regard to annual particle pollution.
  • Fifteen Texas Counties received a grade of “F” for ozone pollution:
    • Harris County (67 orange level ozone days, 10 red)
    • Dallas County (34 orange level ozone days, 4 red)
    • Bexar County
    • Brazoria County
    • Collin County
    • Denton County
    • Galveston County
    • Gregg County
    • Hood County
    • Jefferson County
    • Johnson County
    • Montgomery County
    • Orange County
    • Rockwall County
    • Tarrant County
    • On a more positive note, Brownsville-Harlingen-Raymondville made two of the “cleanest U.S. cities” list for ozone and short-term particle pollution.
    • To find out if your Texas town is on the most polluted list, visit the ALA site.

Read More »

Also posted in Environmental Protection Agency, Ozone, PM2.5 | Leave a comment

West Explosion: Not Enough Protections Or Not Enough Oversight?

By | Bio | Published: April 24, 2013

Source: www.thenation.com

There’s been a lot of debate following the West tragedy as to whether a lack of safety protections, lack of coordination and oversight among enforcement agencies, or some combination of both contributed to a system wide failure and 14 deaths with hundreds injured. As we have mentioned before, Texas leads the nation in total fatal occupational injuries, with more than 400 deaths in 2011. And while not every accident can be prevented, it does seem that Texas gets more than its fair share.

In recent reports, some state officials have indicated that the state’s level of oversight for facilities like the one in West is adequate. It is difficult to understand how one could make such bold statements when the cause of the explosion has yet to be determined. Furthermore, some legislators have recommended this legislative session that state environmental laws be weakened. This is in addition to recent budget cuts at the state environmental agency; the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s (TCEQ) budget was recently cut by $305 million, which reduced the agency by 235 full-time employees. Perhaps what some of our officials really mean is that it is not a lack of oversight, but rather a lack of due diligence in enforcing the laws already on the books, laws designed to protect citizens from events like this one.

The Governor of Texas was quoted recently claiming that the state upholds the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). But frankly that is not quite true. Acting alone, Texas recently refused to abide by laws on permitting regulations for greenhouse gas emissions.  In fact, the state sent an aggressive letter to EPA stating that “On behalf of the state of Texas, we write to inform you that Texas has neither the authority nor the intention of interpreting, ignoring, or amending its laws in order to compel the permitting of greenhouse gas emissions.”  EPA actually had to devise a federal implementation plan for greenhouse gas emissions, so that any new facilities built in the state of Texas could in fact work with a legal permit. Currently, facilities that need a greenhouse gas permit must apply to EPA rather than to TCEQ, even though it is Texas’ responsibility. Read More »

Also posted in Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, Legislation, TCEQ | 1 Response

Explosion At Texas Plant Renews Concerns About State Environmental Agency

By | Bio | Published: April 18, 2013

Source: kxan.com

Unfortunately, last night’s explosion at West Fertilizer, a plant just north of Waco, Texas is just one more tragedy in a long list of facility disasters in the state of Texas. (See previous TXCAM posts here and here).

The same questions always arise – how could this accident have been prevented? Who is responsible? What are the long term health implications to those who have survived this catastrophe?

The Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ) is the lead state agency in charge of permitting facilities such as the West plant. We know that the agency investigated the facility in 2006, only after a concerned citizen called to report a strong smell of ammonia. One of the troubling items regarding this complaint is that the agency knew that the smell was ammonia and that it was coming from a fertilizer facility (a deadly omen) and still took 11 days to investigate the complaint. Once the agency did get to the facility, they recognized that the plant was storing large quantities of anhydrous ammonia without a permit.

It turns out that the facility, originally built in 1962, had been grandfathered into the permitting program – the facility was not required to have a permit until September 1, 2004, the date marking the end of the grandfathered permitting period. This means that two years went by where the facility was operating in violation of a permit and completely unnoticed by the state environmental agency.

Another troubling bit of information is that the agency gave the facility an “unclassifiable” rating for their compliance history. Compliance history, as described by the agency, entails both positive and negative factors related to the facility's environmental performance at a site over the past five years—for example, whether at this site this customer has:

  • received an enforcement order, court order, or criminal conviction; related to environmental violations in another state;
  • received a citation for a chronic excessive emissions event;
  • received a notice of violation from the TCEQ;
  • received one or more inspections from the TCEQ (and, if so, the results of those inspections)

Given that the facility had been operating without a permit for two years, one might expect that the facility would have been given an unsatisfactory rating for compliance. An unsatisfactory rating would have triggered additional scrutiny or strengthened permit requirements for the facility. But of course we know that’s not what happened.

While no one questions that accidents happen, even at facilities that do abide by the law, it does seem that Texas gets more than its fair share of tragedies. In fact, Texas leads the nation in total fatal occupational injuries, with over 400 deaths in 2011. And when these tragedies happen at industrial facilities that handle large quantities of toxic and explosive materials, people die. Lives are forever changed.

The deaths in West, as well as all deaths from these kinds of tragedies, are senseless and preventable. In the name of all citizens in the state of Texas whose lives have ended in this tragic way, we implore the TCEQ to:

  • be more diligent with regard to monitoring of facilities – how many more facilities like West exist across the state?
  • hire more investigators since it is obvious that the current rate of facility inspections is woefully inadequate.
  • spend more time protecting the public than fighting against EPA and public health protections, using the saved funds instead for hiring more investigators.

Disclaimer: This video, filmed by a local citizen with his daughter, shows the plant as it explodes into a larger fire.  Not intended for sensitive audiences.

Also posted in Air Pollutants, Environment, Environmental Protection Agency, TCEQ | Leave a comment

Air Alliance Houston Names New Director

By | Bio | Published: April 10, 2013

Adrian Shelley, executive director of Air Alliance Houston

We were pleased to hear the news last week that Air Alliance Houston named Adrian D. Shelley, III as its new executive director. Adrian succeeds Dr. Matt Tejada, who left this year for a new post as director of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Justice.

Adrian is a native Houstonian and recently served as the community outreach coordinator for Air Alliance. He first worked with the organization in 2008, when he was serving with the University of Texas Environmental Law Clinic. At the clinic, he conducted research for a Clean Air Act citizen suit against a local chemical plant that resulted in a multimillion-dollar settlement. In 2010, he completed a fellowship with Air Alliance Houston in which he conducted research on flexible air permits at several Texas refineries.

“In our search for an executive director, it became readily apparent that in Adrian we had a very knowledgeable and capable individual already on staff who could step up and serve the organization well as its new executive director,” said Bob Levy, Air Alliance Board President.  “Adrian’s demonstrated passion for and commitment to the work of Air Alliance made him the board’s unanimous choice.”

I first met Adrian when he was in law school at University of Texas and was working on cases involving emission violations at facilities operating in Houston. Adrian’s commitment to protecting public health is steadfast, and he will be a valuable asset in helping to bring cleaner air to Houston. He is a two-time recipient of the Texas Legal Fellowship, a recipient of the Joe R. and Teresa L. Long Legal Fellowship, and a recipient of the University Co-op Public Interest Award for Graduating Students. He also served as the environmental director and counsel for State Representative Jessica Farrar during the 82nd session of the Texas Legislature.

Additionally, during and after law school, Adrian interned for the Save Our Springs Alliance, the Environment and Natural Resources Division of the U. S. Department of Justice, and Air Alliance Houston, while earning his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law in 2010.

We look forward to working with Adrian and Air Alliance Houston in the pursuit of clean air for Texas.

Also posted in Clean Air Act, Houston | 1 Response

Ozone Action Days: What Do They Really Mean

By | Published: April 8, 2013

This post was written by guest blogger Deanna Altenhoff, Executive Director of CLEAN AIR Force of Central Texas.

We are all familiar with the term “Ozone Action Day” and typically associate it with a hot summer day.  But what does it really mean?  The CLEAN AIR Force of Central Texas, the only non-partisan, public/private organization in Central Texas exclusively focused on air quality improvement, explains the significance of ozone pollution – and what you can do to make a difference. The CLEAN AIR Force Board of Directors consists of 32 executives from both the public and private sector, including Dr. Elena Craft of the Environmental Defense Fund, united in the common goal of finding workable solutions for improving our region’s air quality. The CLEAN AIR Force is not about waiting for the federal government to tell us what to do to clean up our air; we’re about taking early action now to keep air quality decisions at the local level.

The CLEAN AIR Force oversees a number of voluntary air quality programs that serve the public and help to reduce ozone levels in the Central Texas region. Two examples of those programs are the Clean Air Partners Program and the Clean School Bus Program.  We help implement and coordinate the air quality improvement efforts of local businesses, governments and organizations through our Clean Air Partners Program and we help retrofit and replace older polluting school buses with newer cleaner technologies and implement anti-idling policies through our Clean School Bus Program.  Educating citizens on what they can do to reduce their emissions is also a key part of our mission.

Central Texas is considered near-nonattainment for ground-level ozone under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). The ozone standard is currently set at 75 parts per billion (ppb) and the Central Texas Design Value for 2012 was 74 ppb. Despite two new and lower ozone standards in the past 16 years and a doubling of the population in the last 22 years, Central Texas has been able to avoid nonattainment because of positive weather conditions and the many pro-active air quality efforts our region is making, but there are many challenges ahead.

EPA has announced they may lower the existing standard of 75 ppb to 60-70 ppb by the end of 2013. This means we must continue to work together as a region to significantly lower our ozone emissions or risk being designated as nonattainment, which would negatively impact both public health and the health of our economy.

So what’s so bad about ozone health-wise? Ozone is a form of oxygen that is formed through chemical reactions between natural and man-made emissions of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) in the presence of sunlight.  Sources of VOCs and NOx include automobiles, boats, refineries, chemical manufacturing plants, solvents used in dry cleaners and paint shops, and wherever natural gas, gasoline, diesel fuel, kerosene, and oil are combusted.

Ozone Season in Central Texas runs from April 1st to October 31st. Ozone pollution is mainly a daytime problem during summer months because warm temperatures are key to its formation. When temperatures are high, sunshine is strong, and winds are low, ozone can accumulate to unhealthy levels. Read More »

Also posted in Clean Air Act, Clean school buses, Environmental Protection Agency, Ozone | Leave a comment

New Tier 3 Vehicle Emissions Standards Offer Huge Step Forward For Clean Air In Texas

By | Bio | Published: March 29, 2013

Immediate Reductions Are Equivalent To Taking One In Eight Cars Off the Road

(source: www.eta.co.uk)

Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released updated national vehicle emissions and fuel standards, commonly referred to as Tier 3, which will reduce the amount of sulfur in U.S. gasoline and establish stronger tailpipe emission limits on new passenger vehicles.

These measures will directly reduce toxic air pollutants, soot and smog – or ground level ozone as it is otherwise called – and at a low cost. Tier 3 is supported by state health officials, automakers, the emissions control industry, health and environmental groups, and national recreation groups because it will help protect public health, provide greater regulatory certainty for the automobile industry, and create jobs in refineries and manufacturing.  Furthermore, the additional cost to consumers of the cleaner gasoline will be less than a penny a gallon.

Why is Tier 3 important? Passenger vehicles are the second largest emitters of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds in the U.S. – the two primary pollutants that form ozone. Cars and light trucks also emit more than half of all carbon monoxide pollution, and contribute significantly to dangerous and sometimes lethal particulate matter emissions.  One of the Tier 3 supporters, Honda’s Senior Manager of Environment & Energy Strategy, Robert Bienenfeld explains that Tier 3 regulations will “enable a single national fleet to address all emissions regulations, and to reduce real-world emissions and improve public health.”

The benefit to the public will come from a dramatic and immediate cut in air pollution just from the sulfur reduction in gasoline alone – comparable to taking 33 million vehicles or one in eight cars off the road, according to National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA).  Couple the fuel standards with the tailpipe standards and they will together reduce national motor vehicle emissions of NOx, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds by 29, 38 and 26 percent respectively.

Bill Becker, the Executive Director of NACAA, notes that “There is no rule that will provide states and localities with as significant and as expeditious reductions in NOx as the Tier 3 regulations.” And when you think of Texas, a state with approximately 19,175,000 cars and trucks  driving across 80,000 miles of road, you can expect to see a significant air quality improvement.

It is safe to say that Texas is in need of cleaner, more efficient cars and trucks.  First, as we have reported many times, Texas is a high risk area for ozone health threats.  Last year, Texas exceeded ‘health-based’ ozone limits over 120 times in the larger metropolitan areas.  Second, Texas keeps growing, and with a rise in population comes a rise in the number of cars on the road as well as the associated health risks.  Luckily, Texas citizens are in a position to take control of their everyday car usage and shift gears on the type of car to buy. Hybrid and electric vehicles are clean alternatives and are becoming more popular in the state. And advanced technologies for gasoline and diesel vehicles are driving up miles per gallon (MPG) to help Texans capture fuel cost savings, despite the state’s challenges to fuel efficiency improvements.   There are other ways Texans can offset car pollution and save money – they can drive less, use public transportation and push local governments for clean, fuel-efficient programs. From a health perspective, cleaner cars mean cleaner air and improved health for Texas citizens.

Click here to find out more ways to reduce your own car footprint, limit gasoline usage and save money at the pump.

Also posted in clean car standards, Ozone, Soot, Transportation | Leave a comment

Now You Can Use Your Smartphone To Check Houston Smog Levels

By | Published: March 25, 2013

This post was written by Larry Soward, Air Alliance Houston Transition Director.

Source: Air Alliance Houston

Houston area residents can now track ozone pollution levels anytime, anywhere with a new groundbreaking Smartphone app created through a partnership between Air Alliance Houston, the American Lung Association Plains-Gulf Region, and the University of Houston Honors College.

This exciting new tool extends the resources already available through the Houston Clean Air Network website – the first real-time ozone website for the Houston region – developed by these three groups through a generous grant from the Houston Endowment. The Houston Clean Air Network website and now the Smartphone app enable citizens of the Houston region to get up-to-the-minute air quality information and take control over their own exposure to ozone, reducing the associated health effects.

The new “Ozone Map” app is available free on iPhone and iPad through the Apple App Store and on Android devices through Google Play.

Although individuals are currently able to check ozone values at monitor locations through various government agencies, that data available is typically about 1.5 hours old. This is important because ozone values can change quickly, and people in sensitive groups need to know actual exposure levels. “Ozone Map” provides a unique visual representation of how the real-time ozone levels are moving throughout the Houston area. Displayed much like a weather radar map, users can see the ozone “cloud” moving across the Houston area, as well as the ozone levels in different parts of the city. Read More »

Also posted in Ozone | Tagged , , | 1 Response

Clean Air Strategies Needed At Port of Houston As Commission Reports Record Year, Projects Growth

By | Bio | Published: March 11, 2013

Source: Port of Houston

On February 26, the Port of Houston Authority Commission reviewed its operations and approved a 2013 budget with a higher total revenue, net income and profit margin than either 2011 or 2012. The port also projected growth in both 2013 and 2014 and reported a record year in 2012 in terms of total tonnage (the number of tons coming into the port). The nearly 20 percent increase in the amount of tonnage at the port between 2010 and 2014 (projected) and the cruise business that will draw more than 100 vessel calls over the next several years are expected to contribute to regional air quality challenges. Couple the additional traffic from the port with population growth in the metro region, current nonattainment status for ozone and strengthened standards for particulate matter, and the Port of Houston faces an uphill climb in helping the region meet its air quality goals.

EDF has promoted clean air strategies in Houston for many years and has worked closely with the port on implementation strategies that have made a real difference in reducing air pollution. There is much more to do, and EDF is looking forward to taking the next steps with the port on actions that include:

Source: Port of Houston

  • Comprehensive adoption and implementation of revamped Clean Air Strategy Plan (a framework for emissions mitigation programs at the port)
  • Increased support for the Clean Truck Program (by 2015, almost half of all emissions at the port are expected to come from trucks)
  • Buy-in from port executives for environmental strategies
  • A plan to mitigate emissions resulting from the additional cruise traffic
  • Support for the environmental performance benchmarking system
  • Engagement with local communities on ambient air quality concerns

Importantly, the Texas Legislature is holding a public hearing on Wednesday, March 13 to discuss, among other issues, a bill that would significantly reform governance at the Port of Houston Authority. This bill, sponsored by Rep. Dennis Bonnen, comes as a direct result of the Sunset Review conducted last year and is an opportune time for our state policymakers and port leadership to advance clean air policies at the Port of Houston.

The 2013 budget paints a bright financial future for the port. Now is the time to make sound investments in emissions mitigation programs that will ensure sustainable growth and help protect everybody’s clean air.

Also posted in Houston | Leave a comment

Largest Meeting Of Toxicologists In The World Held In Texas

By | Bio | Published: March 11, 2013

This week, San Antonio will host the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Society of Toxicology (SOT), an organization of scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry who practice toxicology in the U.S. and abroad.

Toxicology is the study of poisons. One of the oldest adages of toxicology (from Paracelsus, who is considered the father of toxicology) is that the dose makes the poison. I’ve always found this to be one of the most interesting things about the field – that literally anything can be toxic at a high enough dose. Toxicologists examine the adverse effects of chemical, physical, or biological agents on living organisms and the ecosystem, including the prevention and amelioration of such adverse effects.

Given the number of large petrochemical and refining industries in Texas, the state is no stranger to dealing with toxics of all sorts. Over the years, emissions of toxics in the state have declined overall, but new challenges have risen, including increased drilling for natural gas and strengthened health-based standards for some pollutants. These topics and more will be covered at the upcoming toxicology meeting.

Some of the sessions most applicable for clean air policy in Texas include:

  1. Diesel and Gasoline Exhaust and Cancer
  2. Human Health and Environmental Concerns around Natural Gas Production Using Hydraulic Fracturing
  3. “Air”-ing on the Side of Caution: Anticipating Impacts of Emerging Issues in the Health Effects of Air Pollution

I look forward to learning more about the latest significant scientific achievements in toxicology and how such knowledge can enhance EDF’s work – ultimately improving the health of all Texans through better air quality advocacy.

Also posted in GHGs | Leave a comment