Houston region
Cooling Off
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.
Industrial (point source) emission inventory (2003)
GHASP obtained the complete point source emission inventory for 2003 from the TCEQ for the Houston region and some other selected counties. (The other counties were at the request of the Environmental Integrity Project, which is working on some related research.)
Air quality outlook 2006
This year, air quality should get better in the Houston region. Better science, new technology and, especially, stronger regulations will all come together this year to make a difference. As an advocate for clean air in Houston, I expect to enjoy 2006.
Things haven't been quite the same since 2000, when hundreds of independent scientists convened in Houston to take a close look at our air quality as part of the first Texas Air Quality Study. They brought vision and perspective to the issue at a time when city leaders were reeling from headlines proclaiming Houston as the nation's smog capital.
Clean contracting
In November, 2005 the H-GAC Board adopted the following resolution. However, H-GAC staff have showed little enthusiasm for seeing that this regional effort is implemented successfully.
Clean Contracting Program for Houston-Galveston Area Local Governments
Background
To attain the federal standard for ozone pollution by the 2010 deadline, additional reductions in emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) need to be achieved, beyond those already adopted by the state. One possible program for achieving additional emission reductions is a clean contracting program.
Meat cooking emissions
An amusing article about pollution from cooking meat in the Houston Chronicle, but I can already smell a new excuse for not cleaning up air pollution.
When folks say Texans live and breathe barbecue, they really mean it.
In a study about to be published, scientists at Rice University have measured the tiny bits of polyunsaturated fatty acids created by cooking meat. These fine particles - mixed with the diesel exhaust, car fumes and road dust that make up soot in Houston's air - can lodge in people's lungs and contribute to the city's haze.
Whiners Matter!
Citizen Complaints Lead to Improved Regional Air Quality Control
The complaint process often begins with a nose. In 2004, area residents called local agencies on more than 2,000 occasions to complain about offensive odors or other indications of air pollution problems. Although less than 10% of these complaints led directly to enforcement, the data from these citizen alerts is invaluable in identifying trends and problem areas.
For more than half a century, Harris County regulators have investigated and prosecuted air pollution problems reported by citizens. Since the 1970s, City of Houston regulators have done the same, both on their own and under contract with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). These officials appreciate that citizens’ watchful eyes are essential to air quality control in the Houston area. Citizens not only experience pollution firsthand every day, but also hold the political power to insist on effective regulation by government and diligent compliance by polluting industries.
GHASP recently undertook a review of perhaps the most overlooked component of citizen oversight – complaints. Over the past year, city and county regulators intensified efforts to each strengthen their own air quality programs and to work more effectively together in identifying and addressing regional air pollution problems. GHASP applauds their efforts and looks forward to a more integrated regional approach.
Hope is a real thing
As someone who works on air pollution issues, I get to hear stories from a lot of people. People have shared stories about kids with asthma, parents who got cancer from exposures at work, neighbors who got nauseous from the unavoidable accident at the plant down the street, employees who participated in illegal dumping, and just questions from average people about whether or not it is safe for them to take a walk in the morning.
Big Breaks for Big Polluters
Houston Area Industries Escape Fines When Texas Fails to Follow Its Policies
When refineries and chemical plants break air pollution laws, they can rely on getting a light penalty from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). We analyzed 26 enforcement cases handled by the TCEQ during the past five years, and found that the TCEQ assessed just 14% of the fines it could have imposed in these cases.
Houston ozone air pollution season off to a record start
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 Silent Treatment
The Natural Resource Defense Council's magazine OnEarth reports on the paucity of environmental health research in the Houston region.
Houston, Texas -- neighbor to scores of oil refineries and petrochemical plants -- has some of the worst air in the country. So why won't the city's world-famous medical research center look into the health effects?
. . .Â
Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, one of the nation's most prestigious medical research and treatment complexes. Its forty-two member institutions treat 4.5 million patients annually and spend more than $550 million every year on research. Yet very little of this money ever goes to investigate the health effects of local exposures to toxics.
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