Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told
Source: Associated Press
By FRANK BAJAK of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS and LISE OLSEN of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE
1 hour ago
HOUSTON (AP) A toxic onslaught from the nations petrochemical hub was largely overshadowed by the record-shattering deluge of Hurricane Harvey as residents and first responders struggled to save lives and property.
More than a half-year after floodwaters swamped Americas fourth-largest city, the extent of this environmental assault is beginning to surface, while questions about the long-term consequences for human health remain unanswered.
County, state and federal records pieced together by The Associated Press and The Houston Chronicle reveal a far more widespread toxic impact than authorities publicly reported after the storm slammed into the Texas coast in late August and then stalled over the Houston area.
Some 500 chemical plants, 10 refineries and more than 6,670 miles of intertwined oil, gas and chemical pipelines line the nations largest energy corridor.
Read more: https://apnews.com/e0ceae76d5894734b0041210a902218d?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)that Houston has no land-use zoning laws. I'd had no idea. An imaginary libertarian paradise where toxic chemicals can be stored right next to wetlands and residential neighborhoods and schools.
So big surprise here. This ball is in the hands of Houston's, and perhaps Texas's, voters. Again.
bucolic_frolic
(43,249 posts)and don't make me think too hard about anything. It would impede my freedumb.
vkkv
(3,384 posts)Local officials say the states industry-friendly approach has weakened efforts by the city of Houston and surrounding Harris County to build cases against and force cleanup by the companies, many of them repeat environmental offenders.
The public will probably never know the extent of what happened to the environment after Harvey. But the individual companies of course know, said Rock Owens, supervising environmental attorney for Harris County, home to Houston and 4.7 million residents.
The TCEQ ( Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ) itself has a long track record of industry tolerance. State auditors in 2003 found it was late in ordering and collecting fines, giving polluters $25 million a year in discounts. A study by Levins group found the agency penalized only 3 percent of air pollution incidents reported by all companies statewide from 2011 to 2016.
Two Texas laws enacted since mid-2015 have weakened counties ability to police polluters. The first caps at $2.15 million what they can collect from polluters in lawsuits. The rest must go to the state. The second law took effect Sept. 1. It obliges counties to give the state right of first refusal on any pollution enforcement cases, which local officials say could mean less punitive action.
Every time weve been able to make something you get a large judgment against one of these companies, get some significant process-changing injunctive relief they come back around behind us to the legislature, said Owens. And they have clipped our wings.
riversedge
(70,270 posts)...An attorney for the nonprofit Austin-based Environmental Integrity Project said that while federal environmental laws remained in effect, the governors action essentially put state regulators on the sidelines and made it more difficult to hold polluters accountable. The state tied its own hands before it knew the scope or the magnitude or any of the effects of the storm, said attorney Ilan Levin.
The TCEQ itself has a long track record of industry tolerance. State auditors in 2003 found it was late in ordering and collecting fines, giving polluters $25 million a year in discounts. A study by Levins group found the agency penalized only 3 percent of air pollution incidents reported by all companies statewide from 2011 to 2016.
Two Texas laws enacted since mid-2015 have weakened counties ability to police polluters. The first caps at $2.15 million what they can collect from polluters in lawsuits. The rest must go to the state. The second law took effect Sept. 1. It obliges counties to give the state right of first refusal on any pollution enforcement cases, which local officials say could mean less punitive action.
Every time weve been able to make something you get a large judgment against one of these companies, get some significant process-changing injunctive relief they come back around behind us to the legislature, said Owens. And they have clipped our wings.
vkkv
(3,384 posts)Javaman
(62,532 posts)riversedge
(70,270 posts)diva77
(7,651 posts)Fine job, Pruitt-ie
Fine job Gov. Abbott
From OP:
On Sept. 1, just as residents in some areas of Houston started dragging soggy belongings to the curb, the city experienced Texas worst ozone pollution of the year.
A top city health official emailed the EPA on Sept. 1 with a request marked urgent, asking for help in determining whether spills and leaks at industrial and Superfund sites threatened the public. Three days later, after getting no response, she emailed again, records obtained in a public information act request show.
We are finding alarming levels of benzene in the neighborhood next to Valero . Should EPA evacuate the residents?
There was no record of an EPA email response, though the agency did send a mobile air-monitoring van on Sept. 5.