Texas is also one of the most polluted states in the United States, particularly when it comes to ozone pollution. Houston, Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex, and the El Paso region all made a list of top 25 polluted cities in the United States. Houston & McAllen-Edinburg are also among the cities with the highest levels of PM (particulate matter) pollution throughout the year.
Is There A Problem With Pollution In Texas
Individuals who live in close proximity to toxic air pollution sources may experience negative health effects as a result of the pollution.
In Texas, the oil and gas sector has a negative impact on the health of its citizens, increasing the risk of cancer for millions of people & contributing to ozone smog, which causes asthma attacks & other health problems in communities around the state.
What Is The Most Significant Source Of Pollution In Texas?
Air and water pollution are major problems
Coal-fired power stations in Texas, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, are among the most polluting sources in the state, ranking even higher than oil refineries & natural gas-fired power plants.
“State regulators must perform a much more consistent and comprehensive job of penalising industries for illegal emissions if they are to safeguard Texans from deadly air pollution,” said Gabriel Clark-Leach, an attorney with the (EPI) Environmental Integrity Project.
A total of 2,980 cases of unpermitted air pollution were reported by enterprises to a government agency in 2021. Co2 emissions, pollution generated during the routine, day-to-day operations of industry not using dumpster rentals, and accidental releases that have not been notified to the state are not included in these figures.
There Are A Number Of Policy Suggestions to Fight Pollution in Texas
In order to provide plant owners with the stronger financial incentive to modernise their facilities & protect public health, Texas should prosecute and enforce illegal pollution releases more forcefully and consistently than it already does. In order to accomplish this, the state should enact obligatory minimum fines.
Texas should close the “affirmative defence” loophole for illegal emission, which serves as near-automatic exemption from fines as long as illegal pollution releases were notified to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) in a timely manner.
Texas should construct more pollution monitors in order to adequately quantify the effects of unlawful industrial emissions on air quality in the state. As part of this effort, the state should collaborate with federal & local agencies to create regulations for ongoing monitoring of harmful pollutants.
We have seen Texas become stricter on polluters in recent years. People who break the rules in Texas are only going to get fined for about 3% of the time, so there is still work to be done, according to the Director of Public Citizen’s Texas office. It is good to observe a decrease in the number of cases, especially in view of a recent economic crisis and the global epidemic.
Air pollution from Transaction Processing Performance Council (TPC) Group’s Houston chemical plant caused a lot of damage last year. 91,000 pounds of polluted air, which include 11,200 pounds of a carcinogen called 1,3 butadiene that was released into neighbourhoods like Park Place, Pecan Park and Glenbrook. It was less than two miles away for communities like Mansfield, Galinas Park, and Paso Denise.
Along with a consistent rate of penalising industry for its illegitimate emissions, a focus on fairness and environmental justice is required, according to the Legal & Advocacy Director of Waco dumpster rentals, who said, “communities of colour bear a disproportionate amount of the burden associated with the repercussions of air pollution.” Austin dumpster rentals for example are underused.
As per state reports cited in the “Illegal Air Pollution in Texas” report, Valero’s Bill Greehey Refinery in Corpus Christi suffered a failure of the floating roof on the crude oil storage tank on June 3, 2020, when there was a lot of rain, or more 75,000 pounds of chemicals, along with 4,100 pounds of benzene, spilled.
Clean Air Act: What Does It Do
Originally passed in 1965, the Texas Clean Air Act had its primary goal. They are preservation of state air resources, protection of the health, general welfare, & physical property of people who lived in the state. Furthermore it was decided that the Texas Air Control board would be in charge of carrying out these requirements. Dumpster rentals cannot help with air pollution directly, but they can help by bringing gass-enitting garbage to the local landfills and recycling facilities of Texas.
