News
Advocacy Group Monitors Air Quality At Local Schools Because Of Deer Park Fire
Posted on · The petrochemical fire released a mix of volatile organic chemicals -- not just the cancer-linked benzene -- which react with sunlight to create ozone.
Tag: air quality
Houston Matters
Full Show: Benzene Levels Around Deer Park, And Combatting Antibiotic Resistance (March 21, 2019)
Posted on · On Thursday's Houston Matters: The latest on benzene levels detected around Deer Park, new ways to combat antibiotic resistance, the effect of immigration policy on the construction workforce, and writer Kathi Appelt.
News
Researchers Say Texas Regulations Ignore Most Harmful Pollutants from Coal
Posted on · A new study says sulfur dioxide is the most dangerous pollutant coming from Texas coal plants.
News
Local Officials Say Plan for VW Settlement Money “Shortchanges” Houston Area
Posted on · Houston wants a bigger cut of millions that will be distributed across the state to help cities clean up air quality.
Houston Matters
Full Show: Vaccines And Autism, And Dealing With Obnoxious People (June 21, 2018)
Posted on · On Thursday's Houston Matters: We examine concerns immigrant advocates still have despite Pres. Trump's executive order ending family separation. Then, a local expert dispels the myth that vaccines cause Autism by sharing the experience of his own daughter. Plus, we learn about humankind's increased knowledge of the human genome and our potential to alter it. And an author champions the benefits of loving the obnoxious people in our lives.
News
15 States Appeal EPA Delay Of Stricter Air-Quality Standards
Posted on · The states petitioned the U.S. Court of Appeals to overturn EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt's extension of deadlines to comply with the 2015 Ozone National Ambient Air Quality Standards.
Energy & Environment
Environmental Group Sues EPA Over Houston-Area Pollution Permits
Posted on · It's an effort to force the agency to respond to objections about various air permits.
Energy & Environment
Bill Delaying New Ozone Standards Moves Forward In Congress
Posted on · One local environmental group calls the bill an "excuse on the part of industry" to not address air quality problems more aggressively.
News
Houston Is Sticking With The Paris Climate Deal, But How Much Can It Really Accomplish?
Posted on · "We have to work within our jurisdiction, and unfortunately, air pollution doesn’t care about city limits."
Houston Matters
How Air Quality in Houston is Getting Better — and Worse
Posted on · Is it getting harder to breathe around here? According to Environment Texas, the number of days Houston experienced unhealthy levels of ozone increased from 101 in 2015 to 106 last year. But that momentary snapshot may miss the bigger picture: the air quality in Houston is much improved from what it was years ago. We […]
Full Show
Air Quality, and Fighting Opioid Addiction: Tuesday’s Show (April 25, 2017)
Posted on · Is it getting harder to breathe around here? According to Environment Texas, the number of days Houston experienced unhealthy levels of ozone increased from 101 in 2015 to 106 last year. But that momentary snapshot may miss the bigger picture: the air quality in Houston is much improved from what it was years ago. On […]
Good, Bad and Ugly
Opinions on Immigration and Air Quality Report: The Good, Bad and Ugly of the News
Posted on · A lot can happen in a week. Some of it good. Some of it bad. Some of it downright ugly. When faced with intriguing developments in the week's news, we turn to our rotating panel of "non-experts" to parse The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of it all. This week our panel weighs in […]
News
Report Says Houston Still Among Nation’s Most Ozone-Ridden Cities
Posted on · The report on government data finds pollution increases in recent years, but long-term progress.
Houston Matters
What Are the Environmental Consequences to Houston’s High Ozone Levels?
Posted on · On Mondayâs program, we discussed how Greater Houston has long exceeded federal standards for ozone levels and is facing new, even tougher standards set forth in the Clean Air Act. That, according to the Greater Houston Partnership, may create circumstances that could prompt companies wanting to build new industrial plants to do so outside of […]
Houston Matters
Houston’s Ozone Levels Still Aren’t Good Enough
Posted on · The Houston region has long exceeded federal standards for ozone levels. With new, tougher standards set forth in the Clean Air Act, Houston's really only further away. It may be little comfort, but now we have some company: El Paso and San Antonio have joined Houston on a dubious ozone offender list. We discuss the […]