Energy & Environment
TCEQ seeks public comment for proposed concrete batch plant near Channelview
Posted on · If approved, the proposed plant would be located just west of Channelview and would emit particulate matter into the surrounding area.
Tag: pollution
Houston Matters
Other legal questions spawned by the Dobbs ruling (July 28, 2022)
Posted on · On Thursday's show: Local officials take action against Union Pacific, citing pollution in Kashmere Gardens and the Fifth Ward. And we discuss some other legal questions the recent Dobbs ruling has spawned.
Houston Matters
Dioxin found in Kashmere Gardens, and the future of live music in Houston (July 15, 2022)
Posted on · On Friday's show: A powerful toxic chemical has been found in a soil sample in the Kashmere Gardens neighborhood. We learn what that means for its residents. Then we begin a two-part exploration into the future of live music in the Houston area with an examination of the challenges local venues face putting on concerts.
Houston Matters
What rising inflation means for Houston’s economy (July 14, 2022)
Posted on · On Thursday's show: Whether continued inflation could lead to a recession, local activists and officials take on hazardous chemical leaks on Houston's east side, and gay conservatives in Texas search for belonging in a party that's openly hostile to them.
Houston Matters
Why the Justice Department is investigating Texas over its border initiative (July 7, 2022)
Posted on · On Thursday's show: City and county leaders plan to sue Union Pacific over alleged toxic pollution from the railroad's Fifth Ward site. Plus, we learn why the Justice Department is investigating Texas over its Operation Lone Star border initiative. And we discuss how the recent Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade could lead to an erosion of privacy rights.
Energy & Environment
Flooding, pollution more likely to occur in Houston minority communities
Posted on · Land-based contamination and rising floodwaters make Houston’s inner-city communities more vulnerable to pollution in the next 30 years.
Houston Matters
Flooding and pollution in minority communities, and the impact of minority-owned businesses (June 30, 2022)
Posted on · On Thursday's show: Increased flooding across the country is exposing more people to industrial waste, especially those in minority communities. Plus, a new report examines the impact of minority-owned businesses on the region's economy. And a Houston teacher is honored at the Tony Awards.
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
Five Texas refineries polluted above federal limit on cancer-causing benzene last year, report found
Posted on · Benzene is a known human carcinogen, according to the EPA. The Texas refineries were among a dozen industrial plants in the U.S. that emitted the highest levels of the chemical in 2021.
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
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.
Houston Matters
Methane emissions, and the week in politics (Jan. 26, 2022)
Posted on · On Wednesday's show: Methane leaking from oil and gas facilities in the Permian Basin, the week in politics, and the annual car and boat shows join forces.
Transportation
TxDOT gets the OK to continue limited work on a controversial I-45 expansion
Posted on · The expansion was put on hold by the Federal Highway Administration in March over possible violations under Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
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
Harris County expands its community air monitoring program with a new mobile unit
Posted on · The mobile unit, known as the “RAAM,” will be able to detect a wide array of compounds and provide real-time data to the county's pollution control dashboards.