INSIDER
New pollution tracker to help voices of Houston neighborhood to be heard
Read full article: New pollution tracker to help voices of Houston neighborhood to be heardHave you ever experienced dirty drinking water, oil flowing where it doesn’t belong, or lingering smoke so thick you can’t see the skyline?
Here’s how crews are removing oil and salt water from Clear Lake’s Horsepen Bayou
Read full article: Here’s how crews are removing oil and salt water from Clear Lake’s Horsepen BayouOn Monday, crude oil and saltwater leaked out of an ExxonMobil tank that had lost power, seeping into the Horsepen Bayou in Clear Lake.
Harris County officials to take legal action after TCEQ approves permit for concrete-crushing plant near LBJ Hospital
Read full article: Harris County officials to take legal action after TCEQ approves permit for concrete-crushing plant near LBJ HospitalHarris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee announced that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a permit for a concrete crushing facility to be built near LBJ Hospital. The action has prompted legal action from county officials.
Global climate conference gives Brazoria County resident chance to voice concerns on pollution, fossil fuel emissions
Read full article: Global climate conference gives Brazoria County resident chance to voice concerns on pollution, fossil fuel emissionsLast June, danger shook the island of Quintana when an explosion erupted at Freeport LNG in Brazoria County.
Air Alliance Houston teams up with several organizations for bike ride to sample the air quality in Gulfton community
Read full article: Air Alliance Houston teams up with several organizations for bike ride to sample the air quality in Gulfton communityAir Alliance Houston is taking action to address environmental concerns in a Southwest Houston community and raising awareness about air pollution issues.
Pollution lawsuits: Officials, community leaders call on Texas attorney general for action in high-profile cases
Read full article: Pollution lawsuits: Officials, community leaders call on Texas attorney general for action in high-profile casesSeveral elected officials and community leaders gathered Tuesday morning to call on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to move aggressively on several high-profile pollution cases impacting local communities.
Sunnyside residents purchase, install 5 new air monitors for neighborhood amid pollution concerns
Read full article: Sunnyside residents purchase, install 5 new air monitors for neighborhood amid pollution concernsIn an effort to protect and advocate for the health of their community, leaders in the historic Sunnyside neighborhood in southeast Houston have installed a network of five new air monitors.
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Pollution Control Services unveil new mobile air monitoring unit
Read full article: Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Pollution Control Services unveil new mobile air monitoring unitHarris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the Pollution Control Services (PCS) introduced the county’s new mobile air monitoring unit designed for rapid ambient air monitoring (RAAM).
Residents fight for environmental justice in Houston neighborhoods dealing with hazardous sites and air pollution
Read full article: Residents fight for environmental justice in Houston neighborhoods dealing with hazardous sites and air pollutionLiving in Houston, air quality is a concern for nearly everyone, but research shows some communities are hit harder by the dangers of persistent pollution.
Twitter feed alerts people to pollution problems
Read full article: Twitter feed alerts people to pollution problemsBut, if you’re concerned about the dangers of pollution, there is a way you can track air pollution right on your phone. Ad“We were lacking some resources, yes,” said Dr. Latrice Babin, director of the Harris County Pollution Control Services. Kuukibot: Pronounced “Cookie bot”Now, citizens are learning about a Twitter feed named Kuukibot, pronounced like cookie-bot, that robotically broadcasts air quality issues in short digestible burst via Twitter. New initiative with Harris County Precinct 2January Advisors is also working with Harris County Precinct 2 on a similar initiative. For now, though, Harris County Pollution Control does not appear to be onboard with January Advisor’s publicly facing Kuukibot.
3.5 million pounds of extra pollution released during the winter storm in Texas, reports say
Read full article: 3.5 million pounds of extra pollution released during the winter storm in Texas, reports sayTEXAS – Fallout from the winter storm in Texas continues to roll in as plants and refineries that are required to self-report extra emissions, report millions of pounds of pollution during a period of forced shutdowns. In Harris County alone, plants, refineries and large industrial operations reported approximately 700,000 lbs. of extra emissions of various sorts, that are most commonly branded “pollution”. In Baytown, The Exxon Mobil Olefins plant emitted approximately 3.5 times more pollution during an 11-day period bracketing the winter storm, than during the Hurricane Harvey flooding event. The increased flaring, which causes the pollution, is a typical byproduct of shutdown and startup events at refineries and plants.
This Harris County Superfund site is ‘vulnerable’ to flooding
Read full article: This Harris County Superfund site is ‘vulnerable’ to floodingNBC News, the Texas Observer, and insideclimatenews.org have partnered for an extensive investigation into the role climate change is playing with Superfund sites across the U.S. He is convinced the EPA needs to revisit Superfund sites in areas prone to flooding, hurricanes and sea-level rise because these symptoms of climate change were never figured into Superfund site remediation plans. MAP: Superfund sites in Houston area (courtesy: NBC News)“All of that overflows and it comes all over the properties,” said John Barrett. AdPlan for major flooding eventsThe site has had a history of flooding; however, the site plans and selected remedy take those challenges into account. I’m not familiar with this particular superfund site, but I have requested a briefing on it by the EPA.”
8M pounds of pollutants released before and after Hurricane Laura but air quality monitors were taken offline
Read full article: 8M pounds of pollutants released before and after Hurricane Laura but air quality monitors were taken offlineHOUSTON – As Hurricane Laura barreled toward the Gulf Coast a few weeks ago, in and around Houston, plants and refineries scrambled to shut down. During the shutdown and restart process surrounding Hurricane Laura, energy companies reported to TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) that 8 million pounds of emissions were released in Harris, Brazoria, Jefferson and Orange counties. There’s some opinion there but here’s a fact:During that exact same period that refineries shut down for Hurricane Laura, the state of Texas unplugged its air quality monitors in the storm’s path. Our state’s version of the Environmental Protection Agency is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). See what TCEQ did in response to Hurricane Laura.