State Investigations Show Reductions in Cooling Tower Emissions 

Three years ago, GHASP reviewed 12 state investigations of cooling water towers in the Houston area conducted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in 2002 and 2003. We found that measured emissions exceeded the permitted, grandfathered, or otherwise accepted rate by 138%.¹ In reviewing 20 investigations conducted roughly a year later, GHASP found that measured emissions were about 76% less than the accepted rate. In other words, TCEQ investigations indicate that in 2002-03 cooling towers were emitting far more than expected, but in 2004-05, they were emitting less than expected.

Industry Violations of New Rule Almost Slid Under State's Radar

Houston-area industrial facilities have regularly violated a key air pollution regulation during the first two months it has been in effect. Their failure to comply with the new rule – which sets an hourly limit on specific emissions – places the region’s strategy for reducing ozone smog at risk. Yet the state’s environmental agency has only recently begun investigating the incidents.

A Guide for Residents of the Houston Region 

If you live in the Houston area, you’ve probably seen or smelled air pollution from a refinery or petrochemical plant. Perhaps you’ve even begun to think of it as a normal or inevitable part of living in the region. However, some of these pollution events are violations of state and federal air quality regulations. If the pollution bothers you, or you suspect a facility is breaking the law, you should report the air pollution incident to a local air quality agency. See the back page for contact information and other resources.

TCEQ warning system has failed to indicate widespread extent of some episodes

People in the Houston region have been exposed to more days with high ozone levels in 2005 than in any first six month period in at least nine years. As of June 29, the eight-hour ozone standard has been exceeded on 28 days.

The Systematic Underreporting of Toxic Air Emissions
Texas - Louisiana Summary

Federal and state environmental regulators have known for more than a decade that toxic air emissions are widely under-reported. Underreporting is usually due to a lack of adequate monitoring. Instead, industrial facilities report their toxic emissions based on calculations that are often outdated and inaccurate. Rather than address this problem, the United States Environmental Protection Agency has weakened monitoring requirements, continuing to relay inaccurate toxic air emissions data.