Tag Archives: TCEQ

“An accident waiting to happen”

I don’t even know what to say. There were no sprinklers. No firewalls. No water deluge systems. Safety inspections were rare at the fertilizer company in West, Texas, that exploded and killed at least 14 people this week. This is … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

Protecting polluters

Ridiculous. It’s never been easy fighting powerful polluters in Texas. A bill approved by a Senate committee today would make it even harder. With a big push from the Texas Chemical Council and the Texas Association of Business, the Senate … Continue reading

Posted in That's our Lege | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Protecting polluters

Still fighting the Waller County landfill

I’ve written before about a battle in Waller County over a proposed landfill that would be built there. While the landfill has moved closer to being approved, it’s not yet a done deal, and its opponents are still fighting against … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Adventures in water marketing

The headline on this story is about Texans’ increasing interest in recycling water. That sounds nice, doesn’t it? But there’s another way of describing it that maybe isn’t so appealing. Experts say recycled wastewater will play a key role in … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Houston loses air pollution permit lawsuit

Bummer. The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday that Houston may not effectively void a state air pollution permit. The justices agreed with Southern Crushed Concrete that Houston’s 2007 law restricting the location of concrete-crushing facilities violates state statute by nullifying … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Houston loses air pollution permit lawsuit

Who gets the water?

This will be worth watching. A simple idea has guided appropriations of Texas water for decades: First come, first served. Now, with drought conditions returning to almost the entire state, the principle is being put to the test by a … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who gets the water?

Recycling pollution

This is unfortunate. The calls to the city of Houston’s 311 help line came in the early morning and the middle of the night – complaints of red smoke, yellow smoke, explosions, fire, a child having trouble breathing. Reports like … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Recycling pollution

EDF report on school buses

From the Environmental Defense Fund: Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) [Monday] released a report titled “Review of Texas’ Clean School Bus Programs: How Far Have We Come and What Is Still Left to Do?” This report evaluates each of the clean … Continue reading

Posted in Planes, Trains, and Automobiles | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on EDF report on school buses

CSAPR knocked down by federal court

Score one for the polluters. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled in a 2-1 decision that the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped its authority with the new regulation. Led by Texas, 14 states and several … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CSAPR knocked down by federal court

Count tells EPA to review flex permits

Score one for Texas. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the Environmental Protection Agency’s disapproval of Texas’ Flexible Permits program was not supported by the Clean Air Act. Under the Flexible Permits program, which had been … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Count tells EPA to review flex permits

More on the landfills of Waller County

Last July I wrote about a proposed landfill in Waller County near Hempstead and the residents who are fighting against it. The Statesman has an update on the story. In many ways, the landfill fight in this rural Texas town … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Who gets to use the water?

There’s a lot more demand for an increasingly limited supply. More than miles separate the rice farms of the Texas coast and the Highland Lakes, where the outward march of Austin is marked by each new house, strip mall and … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who gets to use the water?

Fifth Circuit rules for EPA against Texas

It’s always a pleasure seeing our litigious Attorney General get slapped down by whatever court he’s bothering this week. In the latest turn in a saga pitting environmental regulators in Washington against those in Austin, a panel of federal judges … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Can ban lawsuit moves back to Comal County

From last week: Travis County District Judge Scott Jenkins removed two state agencies from a lawsuit filed against New Braunfels by a coalition of businesses over the law banning disposable containers on the rivers — popular tubing routes. Jenkins dismissed … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Can ban lawsuit moves back to Comal County

Can ban lawsuit moves to Travis County

Some new plaintiffs, too. A group of river-related businesses has sued the City of New Braunfels, Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson and Mark Vickery , executive director of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, over a ban on disposable containers … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Matagorda smog

I feel like there are some pieces missing in this discussion. The Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to add Matagorda County to the list of Texas’ smog violators because Gulf breezes that blow through the area send air pollution toward … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Matagorda smog

Sierra Club sues over coal permits

Remember how four coal plants were granted permits to pollute more in December? You probably don’t, because it basically happened under cover of darkness. The Sierra Club found out about it and has filed a lawsuit to call a halt … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Sierra Club sues over coal permits

How gassy are we?

I’m talking about greenhouse gases, of course. And the answer is, now you can find out for yourself. The greenhouse gas wars are about to heat up again in Texas. Next month, a federal court hears oral arguments in lawsuits … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Valero will not appeal tax break decision

Good. Valero Energy Corp. has decided not to appeal the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s rejection of its request for a controversial property tax exemption. […] Valero spokesman Bill Day said the company no longer would seek the exemption because … Continue reading

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Valero will not appeal tax break decision

CSAPR stayed

There was some bad news at the end of the year. A federal court ordered [last] Friday that the Environmental Protection Agency’s controversial cross-state air pollution rule be stayed — to the delight of Texas officials and the chagrin of … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Fix those leaks

We lost a lot of water this year, which seems like an especially undesirable thing during a record drought. At the peak of this year’s record drought, the city of Houston lost more than 18 billion gallons of water through … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

County sues over dioxin

More like this, please. Harris County has filed a lawsuit in state court to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from local waste management companies and a Pasadena paper factory responsible for storage of a human carcinogen that has leaked … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

TCEQ denies Valero tax break

Good. Texas environmental regulators have rejected Valero Energy Corp.’s request for a tax break that cities, counties and school districts feared would lead to devastating cuts to their budgets. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality denied the request because the … Continue reading

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on TCEQ denies Valero tax break

Giving tax breaks to those that don’t need them

You can add this to the list of things schools might have to pay for that they don’t have the money to pay for. Three environmental commissioners appointed by Gov. Rick Perry are considering whether to grant some of the … Continue reading

Posted in Budget ballyhoo | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

TCEQ a no-show at EPA hearing

They’d rather sue than engage. At the hearing in a hotel ballroom, Al Armendariz, the EPA’s regional administrator for Texas and five adjacent states, said the federal agency prefers to let the state issue the permits, as it does for … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Here comes the EPA

The EPA has seized control of the permitting process in Texas for refineries, power plants, and the like. In a letter sent this week to state regulators, an EPA official wrote that 167 facilities in Texas – many of them … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Here comes the EPA

Two environmental issues for your attention

Are you familiar with tar sands? The Sierra Club would like to acquaint you with them this Thursday, December 16, on its Houston Frontlines tour. Elected officials and community members will gather at Hartmann Community Center on Thursday, December 16th … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Bay City coal plant gets TCEQ approval

Great. Texas’ environmental agency granted air pollution permits for a proposed coal- and petroleum coke-fired power plant in Matagorda County over the objections of local officials and residents Wednesday. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality voted 3-0 in support of … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

EPA-TCEQ agreement in the works

A compromise is in the works between the EPA and the TCEQ over the controversial “flex permits” that the EPA has deemed not in compliance with the Clean Air Act. “We’re very close,” said Richard Hyde, deputy director of permitting … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Lawmakers ask TCEQ to help plants comply with EPA

This is a good idea. After a lobbying push by oil giants, a bipartisan group of Texas legislators have asked state environmental regulators to quickly solve a permit dispute with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that has left some of … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

State sues the EPA again

Round and round we go… Texas has sued the federal Environmental Protection Agency for the second time in six weeks, escalating a feud over the state’s rules for air pollution from refiners and other large industries. State Attorney General Greg … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on State sues the EPA again

EPA cracks down further

Here it comes. The Environmental Protection Agency has formally denounced the state’s air-pollution permitting system for some of its biggest industrial plants — and reactions are pouring in. Texas’s system, the EPA said in its release, “allows companies to avoid … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

EPA goes after more permits

Good for them. The Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday it was taking over the issuance of operating permits for two more Texas facilities — Chevron Phillips Cedar Bayou and Garland Power and Light — further escalating the federal-state fight over … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on EPA goes after more permits

Texas sues the EPA

I suppose this was inevitable. Texas filed a federal court challenge Monday to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s decision to reject part of the state’s air-quality program. […] State Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office — in a statement accompanying the … Continue reading

Posted in Show Business for Ugly People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments