Air pollution is making Texans sick
Nearly two-thirds of Texans live in places where the air is so polluted that simply breathing outdoor air can trigger asthma attacks, heart attacks and even death.
Oil refineries and chemical plants contribute heavily to smog pollution and are the largest source of toxic chemicals that medical experts have linked to leukemia, birth defects and developmental disorders. In 2001, these facilities emitted an estimated 262 million pounds of airborne toxins.
This pollution also
costs Texans significant amounts of money. A study commissioned
by the City of Houston found that air pollution costs the metropolitan area
some $3 billion every year in health care costs, missed work days, and other opportunity costs.
Polluters are evading Texas’ clean air laws
Texas families have choked on filthy air for far too long. But some of Texas’ biggest polluters, including coal-fired power plants and oil refineries, are doing whatever they can to get around clean air laws.
They are underreporting their emissions, claiming large portions of their emissions as “accidental” and just flat out exceeding their pollution permits. Unfortunately, state environmental regulators ahave done little to stop them.
Case in point: According to its own records, Shell Oil Company violated its permits at its Deer Park refinery and chemical plant more than once a week on average for at least five years. But even though Shell has broken the law over and over again, the state of Texas and the U.S. EPA have failed to put a stop to these blatant violations.
Holding polluters accountable for violations
To stop the biggest polluters, we need to impose fines that are high enough to deter future violations. We need to close loopholes for "accidental" emissions, require companies to continuously and accurately monitor emissions, and set stricter standards for pollutants in the air we breathe.
Most of all, we need officials who are willing to enforce our laws and hold polluters accountable for the damage they do to our health and environment. Without toguh enforcement of our clean air laws, Texans will never breathe free.
Environment Texas is working to pass legislation that would crack down on illegal polluters. We're calling on state and federal officials to stand up for strong enforcement. And we're taking the worst offenders to court to get them to clean up their act. In January, we filed suit against Shell Oil Company for excess emissions at its Deer Park refinery and chemical plant.
We need to act now to enforce clean air laws
For years, Shell Oil Company and Texas' other major polluters have been endangering our health and the health of our environment.
That's why Environment Texas and our allies, with the support of citizens across the state, are taking Shell to court to hold the company accountable for years of illegal emissions.
We want to send a message to the big polluters and the state officials who let them evade the law: Texans have endured dirty, dangerous air for too long.
Until Texas starts enforcing the law and making our air safe to breathe again, Environment Texas will work to bring polluters to justice.
