April Thomas, 206.321.3850, april.thomas@sierraclub.org
Houston, Texas - Today, as President Biden visits Houston, residents are raising concerns about a potentially massive flare of air pollution related to the re-starting of local refineries and chemical plants which were closed for more than a week as an extreme winter storm ravaged the region. This potential new pollution flare follows on the heels of a huge, already documented toxic release of pollutants from Texas facilities during the winter storm.
Environmental justice advocates at the Sierra Club are calling for the Biden Administration to immediately investigate air quality impacts on the communities surrounding the industrial corridor of the Houston Ship Channel using a NASA-owned DC-8 airplane equipped with sensitive machinery that can capture high quality, real time air pollution data. This plane is the most sophisticated piece of air pollution detection equipment in the country and can measure more than 400 different chemical contaminants in the air.
After millions of pounds of additional pollution were released into the air during last week’s storm, the return to normal operations poses additional risks to nearby residents. Air pollution levels from the petroleum industry are known to spike during periods of start-up, shut-down and malfunction (or SSM). The Texas governor claims to have exempted these emissions due to the natural disaster, though environmentalists question the legality of that action.
“Our community has been severely affected by the COVID-19 crisis and storm-related water and power shut-offs. Now we are struggling to breathe as the petrochemical industry turns their pollution machine back on, before many of our neighbors even have access to clean water,” said Bryan Parras, Sierra Club environmental justice organizer and Houston resident. “This is an opportunity for President Biden to restore the faith in government that they are here to protect people. We have the tools to measure the full impact, and we need our federal elected officials to take the action necessary to protect our clean air and water in a state where we can’t rely on local elected leaders to do so. We can't build back better if we don't have accurate accounting of the harm done during these climate disasters and accountability and a fossil free power grid.”
As President Biden visits the Harris County Emergency Operations Center this afternoon, refineries and chemical plants continue to flare toxic emissions as they come back online. As a result, residents in fenceline neighborhoods continue to suffer from headaches, restlessness, anxiety and nausea. Measuring the full toll of pollution from extreme weather events is essential to protecting communities most impacted by natural and human-caused disasters.
Videos of flaring emissions in the Houston area. Video 1 - 19 seconds, Video 2 - 3 mins
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.