Energy & Environment
Cleanup of the San Jacinto Waste Pits must continue as planned, EPA says
Posted on · The waste pits were built in east Harris County on the San Jacinto River in the 1960s to store hazardous waste from a nearby paper mill.
Tag: Environmental Protection Agency
Energy & Environment
EPA seeks more smog controls in Houston, Dallas after they fail to meet standards
Posted on · The Houston and Dallas regions may soon be designated as “severe” violators of federal smog rules, which would prompt more aggressive regulations.
Energy & Environment
EPA announces plans to tackle environmental justice issues in Texas and other Southern states
Posted on · In November, the top EPA official visited neighborhoods in Houston that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution, as part of a week-long environmental justice tour through the South. Now, new initiatives aim to address what he saw.
Energy & Environment
EPA chief visits Houston’s heavily polluted neighborhoods as residents call for accountability
Posted on · During EPA Administrator Michael Regan's visit, residents expressed concerns about a range of issues, including concrete batch plants, creosote contamination and the cumulative impact of pollution from multiple facilities concentrated in the same area.
Energy & Environment
Top U.S. environmental regulator to visit Houston neighborhoods where Black and Latino residents bear brunt of pollution
Posted on · Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael Regan on Friday will meet with community leaders and advocates in Houston neighborhoods where pollution has impacted people’s health.
Energy & Environment
Employees and lawmakers worry the planned closure of EPA’s Houston lab could dampen emergency response in the Gulf Coast
Posted on · Plans to relocate the lab continue to move forward, but some employees are hoping the Biden administration will halt the move, given its commitment to environmental justice and Houston's strategic position along the Gulf Coast.
Energy & Environment
EPA Grant Set To Help Redevelop Contaminated Sites In Underserved Houston Neighborhoods
Posted on · The sites include a former incinerator, thermal processing facility and two abandoned commercial high rises.
Energy & Environment
Texas To Make Environmental Proceedings More Accessible To Non-English Speakers, Following Civil Rights Complaint
Posted on · Air and water permits for industrial facilities are often granted in predominantly Latino communities, but environmental justice advocates say language barriers often make it hard for community members to participate in the public process.
Energy & Environment
Cleanup Of The San Jacinto Waste Pits Faces More Delays, EPA Says
Posted on · Community members are calling on the EPA to accelerate the cleanup of the waste pits, which contain dioxins, a group of chemicals known to cause cancer.
Texas
Gov. Greg Abbott Issues Brazoria County Disaster Declaration After Deadly Amoeba Found In Lake Jackson Water Supply
Posted on · The city is now under a boil water notice as of 10 p.m. Saturday, the governor and city officials said.
Energy & Environment
EPA Finalizes Rollback Of Methane Regulations For Oil And Gas Industry
Posted on · Oil and gas operations make up the largest industrial source of methane emissions in the U.S. — and much of those emissions come from Texas, the country’s top oil and gas producer.
Energy & Environment
Harris County Sues EPA Over Chemical Safety Rules
Posted on · The government overturned the rules in 2019, saying they were no longer “reasonable or practicable.”
News
‘Secrecy Provision’ Prevented Public Input On Houston’s $2 Billion Deal To Fix Sewers
Posted on · Councilmember Dwight Boykins told News 88.7 he plans to delay the vote for one week, so advocates have an opportunity to view the agreement.
City of Houston
Houston’s Sewers Could Soon Get A Multibillion-Dollar Upgrade
Posted on · The EPA has been working with the City of Houston to finalize a plan to reduce contamination.
Energy & Environment
ExxonMobil Reaches $600,000 Settlement With EPA, DOJ
Posted on · After a deadly accident, environmental advocates say the civil penalty is little more than a slap on the wrist.