Commissioner Rodney Ellis, clean air advocates call on President Biden, EPA to enact strict safeguards on power plants in Texas

HOUSTON – Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and clean air advocates called on President Joe Biden and the Environmental Protection Agency Wednesday morning to enact safeguards to reduce pollution from the W.A. Parish Generating Station and other power plants in Texas.

The event was sponsored by Moms Clean Air Force.

According to a release, dangerous air pollution from the W.A. Parish plant poses serious public health risks to local communities. Last year, the power plant ranked first in carbon dioxide emissions in the state and second in sulfur dioxide emissions. In the last five years, W.A. Parish has committed 51 violations of the Clean Air Act; and the American Lung Association gave Harris County an “F” for ozone pollution and a “C” for 24 hour particle pollution in its annual State of the Air report, ranking the Houston metropolitan area as one of America’s 20 most polluted cities.

Participants stressed the need for federal action to safeguard the health of Harris County residents as Rice University research found that the W.A. Parish Generating Station was responsible for an estimated 178 deaths each year, according to the release.

This Thursday, the EPA is holding a public hearing about the CSAPR, or Cross-State Air Pollution Rule, and the public comment period is currently open through June 6. You can share comment through these channels via the EPA here.