Houston area has more than 100 unauthorized air pollution events already this year

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH NEWS

HOUSTON — It was just after noon on August 26, 2024, when Shiv Srivastava recorded the skyline of Houston’s East End while an industrial flare from TPC Group roared in the distance after power loss.

Srivastava is the policy director at Fenceline Watch, an environmental nonprofit based in Houston’s East End. As the cloud of black smoke expanded over the downtown skyline, he worked with Yvette Arellano, Fenceline Watch’s executive director, to research air quality updates to share with community members on social media. It was not the first time they responded to air pollution problems like this one.

Unauthorized emissions — any air pollution released from industrial plants beyond permitted levels — occur once every 2.5 days on average in Harris County, which encompasses Houston, according to 2024 the data from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. EHN analyzed 116 emissions event reports from a Commission database published from the beginning of this year to September 17, 2024. Once an emissions event starts, the facility is required to submit a report to the database if the expected emissions are above a reportable quantity that varies by pollutant.Final reports are required within two weeks of the completion of an event, which can either last minutes with emissions below reportable levels, or days, releasing thousands of pounds of often toxic chemicals. Compounds released in these events can range from climate-warming methane to volatile organic compounds that increase cancer risks, like benzene or 1-3 butadiene.