Thousands of polluting facilities in Texas and Louisiana emit hundreds of millions of pounds of chemicals into the air every year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and state regulators are tasked with keeping these facilities in check and protecting local residents. But recent reporting from Grist highlights how companies, from petrochemical refineries on the Gulf Coast to oil and gas wells in West Texas, have devised creative ways to bypass Clean Air Act regulations.
Earlier this year, Grist reporters Naveena Sadasivam and Clay Aldern uncovered how a Koch-owned company is manipulating its operations to create a false profile of its emissions. A second Grist investigation set to publish soon will examine so-called “excess emissions,” when a company releases vast quantities of pollution during a natural disaster, if a plant unexpectedly loses power, or when a piece of complex machinery malfunctions. These emissions — which companies claim are unavoidable — inhabit a legal gray area and polluters are rarely penalized. For those living close to polluting facilities, however, the emissions, which contain a slew of carcinogens and respiratory irritants, take a toll.
Grist thanks the Bullard Center for Environmental and Climate Justice at Texas Southern University for their sponsorship of this event. The Bullard Center works to address disproportionate environmental and climate impacts and eliminate structural inequality and systemic racism. Thank you for your support of this event.
