Texas Regulators to Approve 11 New Flaring and Venting Permits

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Emma Pabst

Environment Texas Calls for immediate action to end routine flaring

Environment Texas

AUSTIN — The Railroad Commission of Texas is set to approve 11 new permits to vent and flare gas today. The permits, which appear on the consent agenda for their September 1 meeting, come amid calls from environmentalists to end routine flaring and venting by 2025. 

“In the wake of Hurricane Laura, it’s clear that Texas needs to get off fossil fuels as quickly as possible” said Emma Pabst, Global Warming Solutions Advocate with Environment Texas Research and Policy Center. “Every flaring permit the Commission issues worsens the effects of climate change, allowing oil companies to pollute our environment at the expense of everyday Texans.” 

While the Commission has begun investigating ways to address routine flaring, environmentalists have called their newest proposal inadequate to address the gravity of the issue. They argue that the proposal continues to enable routine flaring because it still allows companies to seek a hearing to extend the duration of flaring well past 90 or 180 days.

The permits include item numbers 10 – 21 on the consent agenda. More information about flaring and venting is available in Environment Texas Research and Policy Center’s 2020 report “A Cleaner Path for Oil in Texas.” Today’s meeting will be streamed on the Commission’s website.

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Environment Texas Research & Policy Center is dedicated to protecting our air, water and open spaces. We work to protect the places we love, advance the environmental values we share, and win real results for our environment. For more information, visit www.environmenttexascenter.org