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The Latest Breaking News from TCEQ

New reservoir will fuel petrochemical expansion on Texas coast

Blocked in Louisiana, Formosa Plastics looks to grow around Lavaca Bay instead. But it and other interested industrial plants are waiting for more water.

The Texas Tribune

How Texas polluters classify big facilities as smaller ones to avoid stricter environmental rules and public input

Industrial developers describe large facilities as “minor” polluters to avoid federal permitting requirements, and environmental lawyers say the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality lets it happen.

The Texas Tribune

How Texas Commission On Environmental Quality Helps Polluters Evade Federal Law

Environmental lawyers say TCEQ, the state watchdog agency lets polluters escape regulation through legal loopholes.

Texas Observer

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Judge overrules Texas, strikes down air pollution permit for Gulf Coast oil terminal

A judge reversed a 2022 decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality that involved its controversial “one-mile rule” to deny hearing requests.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Court Strikes Down Air Pollution Permit for Gulf Coast Oil Terminal

A judge reversed a 2022 decision by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) which involved its controversial “one-mile rule."

Texas Observer

Federal court overturns Texas agency’s pollution permit for Gulf Coast natural gas export terminal

Judges overturned a state air pollution permit that was issued last year, arguing that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality illegally enabled Port Arthur LNG to avoid emissions control requirements.

The Texas Tribune

Court: Lone Star State Violated Emissions Limits on Gulf Coast

Judges argued that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality illegally enabled Port Arthur LNG to avoid emission control requirements.

Texas Observer

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Llano River communities fight former oil executive’s plan for a private dam

Texas has thousands of private dams, but a former oil executive’s application to build one on the South Llano River would be the first in the watershed for recreational use. Opponents fear it would harm the river’s health and encourage more private dams.

The Texas Tribune

Texas Wants to Adopt Outdated Cancer Risk Standard Despite Concerns

TCEQ is proposing to quietly adopt its 17-year-old cancer standard that leading scientists and public health officials call inadequate.

Texas Observer

Texas quietly moves to formalize acceptable cancer risk from industrial air pollution. Public health officials say it’s not strict enough.

Without public hearings, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is proposing to adopt its 17-year-old standard that scientists and public health officials say fails to account for cumulative air pollution.

The Texas Tribune

EPA’s inspector general says agency isn’t enforcing benzene pollution rules at refineries in Texas, nationally

A report by the federal environmental agency’s internal watchdog found that EPA is failing to enforce its own pollution limits for the known carcinogen at many refineries — including some in Texas.

The Texas Tribune

Their water is undrinkable. So these West Texas residents have taken matters into their own hands.

The water in these four unincorporated communities near Lubbock has been undrinkable for years, residents say. They hope to win $3 million in state grants to improve their systems.

The Texas Tribune

Texas’ environmental agency enables companies to increase oilfield wastewater disposal in rivers

Researchers are still studying the chemical makeup of “produced water” from Permian Basin oil fields. But regulators say they’re ready to issue permits to discharge the water into rivers and creeks.

The Texas Tribune

How the ‘1-Mile Rule’ Protects Big Polluters from Citizen Complaints

The policy has been denounced in lawsuits and petitions, but the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality denies that the 1-mile rule exists.

Texas Observer

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The Texas Tribune

The “1-mile rule”: Texas’ unwritten, arbitrary policy protects big polluters from citizen complaints

It’s not found anywhere in state law or the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s rules, but for years the agency has denied citizens the ability to challenge air pollution permits because they live more than a mile away.

The Texas Tribune

Texas has already seen 25 chemical emergencies this year. Here’s how to protect yourself during the next one.

Preparing for a chemical incident means knowing which industrial facilities are near you, creating a disaster supply kit and signing up for alerts from local emergency managers ahead of time.

The Texas Tribune

EPA will decide if the state is doing enough to reduce pollution in two East Texas counties

The federal agency has settled a lawsuit the Sierra Club brought over pollution from a coal-burning power plant. The agreement requires the EPA to weigh in on the state’s plan to improve air quality in Rusk and Panola counties.

The Texas Tribune

West Texas gas operators released tons of excess emissions during June heat wave

When sizzling temperatures in June affected the air pressure in pipelines in West Texas, companies in five counties vented millions of pounds of natural gas and other toxins into the air.

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The Texas Tribune

A Comal County ranch owner ponders selling his land, setting off another clash between property rights and environmental concerns

When the owner applied for a state permit that could pave the way for a subdivision, neighbors and environmentalists rallied against it in the name of protecting the area’s rivers and the Edwards Aquifer.

Texas Observer

Pipeline Operators Release or Flare Tons of Gas During June Heatwave

One company vented more than 500,000 pounds of gas toxins into the air during 17 events over a week-long period of extreme heat in June.

Texas Observer

Dow’s River

Dow chemical company holds all the cards on the Brazos River. Part of the Observer's "Drifting Toward Disaster" series on Texas waterways.

The Texas Tribune

State environmental agency proposes new rules for concrete plants in Texas

The TCEQ has proposed changes to concrete batch plant permits including lowering production limits, reducing dust coming from plants and setting minimum distance requirements from nearby communities.

Texas Observer

Over 20 Years, Texas Allowed 1 Billion Pounds Excess Emissions

So-called "excess" emissions have ballooned in Texas, thanks to an almost total lack of enforcement, report Grist and Science Friday.

The Texas Tribune

A billion-pound problem: How unchecked “excess emissions” ballooned in Texas

Over the last two decades, state regulators have allowed companies to release more than a billion pounds of excess pollution.

The Texas Tribune

Fossil fuels got a boost from lawmakers aiming to fix Texas’ grid, while renewable energy escaped stricter regulations

The bills will give owners of natural gas power plants incentives to build more capacity, but they don’t go as far as originally proposed to change how electricity is created and sold in the Texas market.

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