pollution

Demolition on an EPA Superfund site in southern Dallas that’s surrounded by residences began on Thursday.

The online tool tracks power plants, oil refineries, large ships and other sources of greenhouse gases. Gore plans to expand the tracker to observe every major source of emissions.

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.

Dallas residents allege that the City of Dallas allowed Black and brown residential neighborhoods to be zoned next to industrial pollutants and are requesting a federal investigation.

The federal agency is considering designating the Permian Basin as a “non-attainment area,” meaning it could face tougher emissions regulations.

A report from the state Sunset Advisory Commission found that Texas Commission on Environmental Quality commissioners have become “reluctant” regulators and often encourage industry to “self police.”

Benzene 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.

Some city leaders worry that lead contamination at a Southeast Dallas site where tons of shingles and other construction material had been dumped may also have contaminated parts of the surrounding neighborhood.

A handful of Trinity Metro staff have always known about the transit agency’s actions to reduce air pollution and energy use, said Chad Edwards, the agency’s vice president of planning and development.

Residents describe sound ordinance as ‘lipstick on a pig,’ say they are left to clean up slop.

“People back then didn’t think of the consequences, but there is one of the rooms that’s completely filled with trash, and some of it is not biodegradable, so they’re going to stay here for years unless we actually pull them out.”