City-operated landfills, oil and gas facilities, and defense companies led Tarrant County businesses in producing the most carbon monoxide emissions and fine particulate matter in 2023, according to the most recent data collected by the state.
Every year, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality releases data that reflects major air pollution sources across the state. Data lists the amount of harmful chemicals — such as carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds and particulate matter — generated by industrial facilities, including power plants, oil refineries and those that produce cement, chemicals and metals.
A gas-fueled electric station operated by Constellation Energy in Fort Worth produced the most particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers or less, generating 73 tons per year, according to the data.
Particulate matter is made up of small solid particles or liquid droplets — most often in the form of dirt, dust, soot or smoke — that can be inhaled and cause serious health problems such as increased respiratory symptoms, asthma, decreased lung function and premature death in people with heart or lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
Following the energy company as top polluters are two landfills, one in Arlington and the other in southeast Fort Worth, each of which produced high levels of particulate matter in Tarrant County in 2023.
As for carbon monoxide, the same Fort Worth landfill produced 103 tons per year, the most out of any other company or entity in 2023, with a Waste Management landfill in Fort Worth coming in just behind.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be harmful when inhaled in large amounts. At very high levels, often indoors or in an enclosed space, carbon monoxide exposure can lead to death.
Although very high levels of carbon monoxide are typically not found outdoors, those with heart disease are especially sensitive to elevated levels of outdoor emissions.
Federal changes could reduce air pollution data collection
Some of the data collected by state environmental regulators supplements the EPA in its Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program. The program was launched 15 years ago to help the federal agency and businesses identify major sources of pollution, devise strategies to cut emissions and develop climate-focused policies.
But the data from 2023 may be the last year polluters are required to report greenhouse emissions as the EPA cuts programs and long-standing regulations.
In an April agency meeting, political appointees announced their plans to disband the Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program for most industrial facilities, including power plants, oil refineries and those that produce cement, chemicals and metals, according to ProPublica.
The greenhouse gas reporting initiative is modeled after the EPA’s Toxics Release Inventory, created in 1986, said Columbia Law School professor Michael Gerrard, which made it crucial for companies not only to monitor emissions but to discover other pollutants they were previously unaware of generating.
Eliminating the emissions inventory would make it very hard for companies to keep pollutants down, added Gerrard.
“It’s very important that companies understand what their own emissions are so that they can better manage them. It’s important for governments to know who is emitting what, so they can better regulate them,” said Gerrard. “There are many uses for this.”
But regulators say the change at the federal level would not affect the state commission’s regional air monitoring, as statewide pollution data is aimed to comply with other federal air monitoring requirements like the Clean Air Act.
“Engineered to protect the environment”: Tarrant business, local government weigh in
Constellation Energy declined a request to comment on its 2023 particulate matter emissions.
With the Arlington landfill coming in second as a particulate matter polluter while also leading in the top 10 generators of carbon monoxide emissions, city officials said they aim to meet or exceed all state and federal regulations.
“We regularly monitor and report our activities to the TCEQ,” said Arlington asset management director Nora Coronado. “The landfill has been engineered to protect the environment.”
Fort Worth’s landfill has a network of pipes, pumps and wells to capture naturally occuring biogas and safely flare those gases, said city spokesperson Lola McCartney. The landfill produced the third-highest levels of particulate matter and the most carbon monoxide emissions in Tarrant County in 2023.
“The landfill has extensive environmental systems in place to ensure all equipment is working as it should,” said McCartney.
In 2023, aerospace defense company Lockheed Martin produced the fourth-highest levels of particulate matter in Tarrant County at its F-35 jet production facility, data shows.
Although the company produced 10.80 tons per year of the fine particulate matter, which is over the maximum of 10 tons per year allowed according to the EPA, Lockheed Martin spokesperson Kenneth Ross said in a statement the company reported less than half of the limits outlined by the site’s permit granted by the state environmental commission. In accordance with federal law, state environmental permits cap particulate matter 2.5 emissions at 9 micrograms per cubic meter.
Lockheed’s “advanced emission control technologies” allows the company to keep particulate matter emissions from exceeding federal limits, said Ross in the statement.
These measures demonstrate a commitment to minimizing particulate matter emissions as proven by significantly exceeding regulatory requirements, said Ross.
The company has also reduced water usage by 29% and energy usage by 23% since 2010, while growing its employee base from 12,000 to 18,000 in that same timeframe, added Ross.
“Our environmental efforts extend to all aspects of operations,” said Ross.
The Report asked Ross to provide more details about Lockheed’s Fort Worth emissions data, but he did not respond before publication.
Midstream oil and gas operator Oneok, who operated as EnLink Midstream in 2023, produced the seventh-highest levels of carbon monoxide emissions that year.
Safety and the environment are core values at the company, said Oneok spokesperson Brad Borror.
“We commit to a zero-incident culture for the well-being of our employees, contractors and communities and to operating in an environmentally responsible manner,” said Borror.
Regardless of changes at the EPA, the company will continue to comply with the state environmental commission each year, said Borror.
Chemical company Nouryon, General Motors, Waste Management, Bell Textron, Energy Transfer Fuel LP, which all ranked in either the top 10 generators of particulate matter or carbon monoxide emissions respectively, did not respond to the Report’s requests for comment.
Karr Ingham, president of the industry group Texas Alliance of Energy Producers, assures that companies, particularly oil and gas, mitigate emissions as it not only negatively impacts the environment but could backfire economically.
“Losing methane into the atmosphere means that you’re also losing potential revenue from that gas that can be sold. … There is some economic incentive,” said Ingham.
As a result, companies invest in leak detection equipment and technologies to maintain efficiency and environmental safety throughout operations. Additionally, energy companies continue to work with federal officials to ensure compliance with environmental regulations, said Ingham.
“We’ve been engaged with the process in (Washington D.C.) about where the EPA is headed,” said Ingham.
Nicole Lopez is the environment reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact her at nicole.lopez@fortworthreport.org.
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