Energy & Environment
Six Houston-based refineries dump millions of gallons of contaminated wastewater with little penalty, report finds
Posted on · When they are penalized, researchers said the penalties are little more than a “slap on the wrist.”
Tag: epa
Houston Matters
How the EPA regulates refineries (Jan. 30, 2023)
Posted on · On Monday's show: A new report claims the EPA and state agencies are failing to regulate refineries, allowing them to dump toxic chemicals and metals into waterways -- with the top four worst offenders being in Texas.
Energy & Environment
Researchers test private wells near Jones Road Superfund Site after EPA report finds groundwater contamination is still a concern
Posted on · The Superfund site is located in the Cypress Shopping Centre strip mall off Jones Road where a former dry cleaners failed to dispose of its chemicals properly, contaminating the groundwater and soil. Cleanup of the site has been in the works for more than a decade.
Energy & Environment
EPA finds the cleanup of the Jones Road Superfund in Northwest Harris County “not protective” of human health
Posted on · The Superfund site is located in the Cypress Shopping Centre strip mall off Jones Road. A former dry cleaners failed to dispose of its chemicals properly, contaminating the groundwater and soil.
Energy & Environment
Fifth Ward residents tired of waiting for action after soil samples confirm presence of toxic dioxin near contaminated railyard
Posted on · Fifth Ward residents have been fighting for years to get contamination in their neighborhood cleaned up.
Energy & Environment
Advocates call for creative solutions as Houston region fails to meet decade-old federal ozone standards
Posted on · Ozone pollution can irritate and inflame the lungs, making it harder to breathe. It’s especially harmful to people with lung diseases such as asthma.
Energy & Environment
Houston, county attorney plan to sue Union Pacific for inadequate Fifth Ward cleanup plan
Posted on · The Union Pacific railyard is contaminated with creosote, a likely human carcinogen that resulted in Kashmere Gardens being deemed a cancer cluster in 2019.
Politics
Supreme Court restricts the EPA’s authority to mandate carbon emissions
Posted on · The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision, ruled that the Environmental Protection Agency does not have the authority to mandate carbon emissions from existing power plants.
Houston Matters
Benzene pollution, and presidential portrait history (May 13, 2022)
Posted on · On Friday's show: Excess pollution at local refineries, the Obama portraits, and blending classical music and hip hop.
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.
Energy & Environment
Cleanup of the toxic San Jacinto waste pits faces another potential delay, frustrating residents
Posted on · The waste pits were built in the 1960s to store hazardous waste from a nearby paper mill and contain dioxins, a group of chemicals known to cause cancer. Community advocates have been fighting for their cleanup for years.
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.
Houston Matters
Companies condemn Texas for investigating families of trans kids (March 14, 2022)
Posted on · On Monday's show: Dozens of corporations are condemning Texas’ order to investigate families of trans kids. And Memorial Hermann and Blue Cross Blue Shield have reached a contract agreement, allowing nearly 200,000 patients to continue care at Memorial Hermann hospitals.
Energy & Environment
Texas defends its less protective standard for highly toxic air pollutant during EPA meeting
Posted on · The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to reclassify ethylene oxide as significantly more carcinogenic than previously thought. Texas is the only state to reject the EPA’s analysis.
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.