Hurricane Harvey's toxic impact deeper than public told

[DonViejo]

Source: Associated Press




By FRANK BAJAK of THE ASSOCIATED PRESS and LISE OLSEN of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE
1 hour ago

HOUSTON (AP) — A toxic onslaught from the nation’s petrochemical hub was largely overshadowed by the record-shattering deluge of Hurricane Harvey as residents and first responders struggled to save lives and property.

More than a half-year after floodwaters swamped America’s fourth-largest city, the extent of this environmental assault is beginning to surface, while questions about the long-term consequences for human health remain unanswered.

County, state and federal records pieced together by The Associated Press and The Houston Chronicle reveal a far more widespread toxic impact than authorities publicly reported after the storm slammed into the Texas coast in late August and then stalled over the Houston area.

Some 500 chemical plants, 10 refineries and more than 6,670 miles of intertwined oil, gas and chemical pipelines line the nation’s largest energy corridor.

Read more: https://apnews.com/e0ceae76d5894734b0041210a902218d?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=AP

[Hortensis]

1. For me the most shocking news out of Harvey was

that Houston has no land-use zoning laws. I'd had no idea. An imaginary libertarian paradise where toxic chemicals can be stored right next to wetlands and residential neighborhoods and schools.

So big surprise here. This ball is in the hands of Houston's, and perhaps Texas's, voters. Again.

[bucolic_frolic]

2. Don't fence me in ... one size fits all

and don't make me think too hard about anything. It would impede my freedumb.

[vkkv]

3. Two Texas laws enacted since mid-2015 have weakened counties ability to police polluters.

Local officials say the state’s industry-friendly approach has weakened efforts by the city of Houston and surrounding Harris County to build cases against and force cleanup by the companies, many of them repeat environmental offenders.

“The public will probably never know the extent of what happened to the environment after Harvey. But the individual companies of course know,” said Rock Owens, supervising environmental attorney for Harris County, home to Houston and 4.7 million residents.

The TCEQ ( Texas Commission on Environmental Quality ) itself has a long track record of industry tolerance. State auditors in 2003 found it was late in ordering and collecting fines, giving polluters $25 million a year in discounts. A study by Levin’s group found the agency penalized only 3 percent of air pollution incidents reported by all companies statewide from 2011 to 2016.

Two Texas laws enacted since mid-2015 have weakened counties’ ability to police polluters. The first caps at $2.15 million what they can collect from polluters in lawsuits. The rest must go to the state. The second law took effect Sept. 1. It obliges counties to give the state right of first refusal on any pollution enforcement cases, which local officials say could mean less punitive action.

“Every time we’ve been able to make something — you get a large judgment against one of these companies, get some significant process-changing injunctive relief — they come back around behind us to the legislature,” said Owens. “And they have clipped our wings.”

[riversedge]

6. It is dangerous to live in Red states!

...An attorney for the nonprofit Austin-based Environmental Integrity Project said that while federal environmental laws remained in effect, the governor’s action essentially put state regulators on the sidelines and made it more difficult to hold polluters accountable. “The state tied its own hands before it knew the scope or the magnitude or any of the effects of the storm,” said attorney Ilan Levin.

The TCEQ itself has a long track record of industry tolerance. State auditors in 2003 found it was late in ordering and collecting fines, giving polluters $25 million a year in discounts. A study by Levin’s group found the agency penalized only 3 percent of air pollution incidents reported by all companies statewide from 2011 to 2016.

Two Texas laws enacted since mid-2015 have weakened counties’ ability to police polluters. The first caps at $2.15 million what they can collect from polluters in lawsuits. The rest must go to the state. The second law took effect Sept. 1. It obliges counties to give the state right of first refusal on any pollution enforcement cases, which local officials say could mean less punitive action.

“Every time we’ve been able to make something — you get a large judgment against one of these companies, get some significant process-changing injunctive relief — they come back around behind us to the legislature,” said Owens. “And they have clipped our wings.”

[vkkv]

7. Even If - you're a Wingnut.. nt

[Javaman]

4. expect a spike in cancer cases in a few years. nt

[riversedge]

5. k for visibility

[diva77]

8. K&R for exposure

Fine job, Pruitt-ie

Fine job Gov. Abbott

From OP:

As Harvey bore down on Texas, Gov. Greg Abbott’s administration decreed that storm-related pollution would be forgiven as “acts of God.” Days later, he suspended many environmental regulations.

On Sept. 1, just as residents in some areas of Houston started dragging soggy belongings to the curb, the city experienced Texas’ worst ozone pollution of the year.

A top city health official emailed the EPA on Sept. 1 with a request marked “urgent,” asking for help in determining whether spills and leaks at industrial and Superfund sites threatened the public. Three days later, after getting no response, she emailed again, records obtained in a public information act request show.

“We are finding alarming levels of benzene in the neighborhood next to Valero . Should EPA evacuate the residents?”

There was no record of an EPA email response, though the agency did send a mobile air-monitoring van on Sept. 5.