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During the Trump administration, the Environmental Protection Agency exempted a proposed oil export terminal off the Texas coast from air pollution requirements. This week it rejected the permit because of pollution concerns.
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The federal agency launched the inquiry after complaints from the Harris County Attorney and Lone Star Legal Aid about how the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issues permits to plants that predominantly impact communities of color.
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One of them is in Laredo, which has elevated rates of cancer, according to a recent state analysis. The findings come after reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune.
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Emissions are reacting with the summer heat to create high levels of smog, hazardous air pollution that damages the lungs. But state officials are pushing back on ozone pollution controls proposed by the EPA, arguing such rules would compromise the electric grid.
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The federal agency is considering designating the Permian Basin as a “non-attainment area,” meaning it could face tougher emissions regulations.
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The high court said a cap on power plants’ carbon dioxide emissions that forces a transition to other fuels may be a “sensible” solution to the climate crisis, but that Congress did not give the Environmental Protection Agency the broad authority to make such requirements. Texas was one of 17 states that joined in the suit.
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Burning oil, coal and other fossil fuels releases plumes of tiny, dangerous particles. A new study estimates that eliminating that pollution would save about 50,000 lives in the U.S. each year.
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Five Texas refineries polluted above federal limit on cancer-causing benzene last year, report foundBenzene is a known human carcinogen, according to the EPA. The Texas refineries were among a dozen industrial plants in the U.S. that emitted the highest levels of the chemical in 2021.
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The EPA will host a virtual public hearing on the proposed changes May 9. Those who wish to speak must register online by the end of May 5.
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The Houston and Dallas regions may soon be designated as “severe” violators of federal smog rules, which would prompt more aggressive regulations.
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A Texas professor who has joined the new White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council says he wants to make a Superfund site in Grand Prairie a top priority.
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Numerous residents in the predominantly Latino Burbank Gardens neighborhood said they’ve been told little or nothing about air, soil and groundwater poisoned by TCE, a known human carcinogen.