The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has granted its first greenhouse gas emission permit to a Texas facility since the Federal Agency took over the permitting program from the state.
The Lower Colorado River Authority’s Thomas C. Ferguson Power Plant in Llano County is the first Texas site to be awarded a permit to emit under the new system. The power plant will run on natural gas. Continue Reading
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Barack Obama speaks at the White House on October 6, 2011
Reuters is reporting that the rumors we’ve been hearing about this week — a delay on a decision for the controversial Keystone XL pipeline — may be true. The Obama administration may announce that they’ll explore a different route for the pipeline, “delaying a final approval beyond the 2012 U.S. election.” More from Reuters:
The decision would be a victory for environmentalists, many of whom oppose the pipeline, and a setback for TransCanada Corp, whose $7 billion Keystone XL project is seen as the most important North American oil pipeline plan for decades.
One source familiar with the matter said that studying a new route for the pipeline would likely take 12-18 months, putting a final decision after President Barack Obama’s bid for re-election on November 6, 2012.
An announcement is expected later today.
Texas Governor Rick Perry’s memory lapse at the GOP debate last night ( the now infamous moment when he couldn’t remember the third Federal Agency he would dismantle if he were president) was especially surprising considering the nature of his candidacy.
As we’ve reported in the past Perry has built his economic and jobs policies, to a large extent, around his energy policy. Continue Reading
What do you see when you look out your window at night? If you live in Billy Placker’s neighborhood, it could very well be a giant ball of fire.
“This is what we deal with here a while back,” the former refinery worker says. “My grandson run in the house, he said, Grandpa! Grandpa! The refinery’s fixing to blow up. We run outside, and the refinery back around the corner from us over here, both their flares were going insane.”
You might have seen a flare before, maybe while driving along the highway. It’s the fire on top of stacks at refineries. When things are going according to plan, the flame is small. But here on refinery row, a ten mile stretch of plants, refineries  and homes in Corpus Christi, things don’t always go according to plan. Continue Reading
There were two water-related amendments to the Texas Constitution up for vote yesterday. One, Proposition 2, passed and the other. Proposition 8, was voted down. So what does this mean for the future of water in drought-stricken Texas? Here are five things to know about the votes:
With about 2,760 employees, 16 regional offices, and an operating budget of $354 million this year, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality is the second largest state environmental regulation agency in the U.S.
The man in charge of Compliance and Enforcement at TCEQ is Richard Hyde.
Richard Hyde is Deputy Director of TCEQ's Office of Compliance and Enforcement. Photo courtesy of TCEQ.
Hyde sat down with reporter Mose Buchele as part of StateImpact Texas’ coverage of recently released EPA watch lists of Clean Air Act violators. Those lists showed many repeat polluters are located in Texas.
While the TCEQ said it wouldn’t comment on EPA data, Hyde and spokesperson Terry Clawson did field questions about a range of other subjects. Below are some excerpts from that 20 minute interview touching on TCEQ’s defense of its enforcement record, the Sunset Committee recommended reforms at the Agency, and the impact of state budget cuts on enforcement.
Enforcement and Flexibility
Mose Buchele: Alright, could I open up with a general question about the Commission’s approach towards enforcement?
Richard Hyde: Sure, the Commission takes enforcement very seriously. It’s one of the tools in the toolbox we use. We want all companies to comply with their permits and the rules — that’s our genuine goal — and we’ll use all the tools in the toolbox to make that happen. If we have to use enforcement we use it, and it’s swift and just. Continue Reading
A refinery along the Texas Coast. Photo by Teresa Vierira.
NPR reporters, working with the Center for Public Integrity, reviewed never-before published lists compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to track polluters. Â Roughly one in 10 factories on the most recent list is in Texas. Â Some of those facilities have been on the watch list for years.
Kelly Haragan runs the Environmental Law Clinic at the University of Texas Austin. She is a great source, but interviews with her are likely to be interrupted. You see, Haragan gets a notification on her phone every time factories emit more pollution than normal. Continue Reading
John Nielson-Gammon, the state’s climatologist, has been quite busy as of late. Our record-breaking heat and single-year drought is on the minds of citizens and lawmakers, so Nielson-Gammon’s insight is in high demand. How high? The climatologist penned this brief summary of his hectic day last week briefing the state legislature last week on drought issues:
Dave Fehling / StateImpact Texas
School's Out: Kids at the End of The Day at Kruse Elementary in Pasadena, Texas
The way one lawyer working for the Harris County government sees it, his office is enforcing pollution laws because the state of Texas isn’t.
“Sadly, the history of the State of Texas in protecting people, especially people here on the Gulf Coast from environmental contamination, is pitiful,” said Terry O’Rourke, First Assistant Harris County Attorney. “It is a history of neglect.”
O’Rourke said the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, or TCEQ, should be taking the lead on regulation, but hasn’t.
With the current drought now more or less at the one-year mark and breaking records along the way, many are wondering if it will ever end. Another question is, how unique is this drought to Texas and the surrounding region?
Researchers at the University College London’s Department of Space and Climate Physics have put together an interactive global drought monitor that allows you to put the current drought into perspective.
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