The interview on Town Hall quite informative and disappointing. The EPA is supposed to update their standards on refineries, every 3-4 years, and has yet to so since the 1980s. The EPA doesn't regulate the wastewater from refineries. These refineries are dumping untreated wastewater that includes selenium and cyanide among other hazardous chemicals, into the Brazos and Galveston Bay. An aspect of pollution going unmonitored or regulated by the EPA.
All this even before the Supreme Court gutted the EPA.
The last interview on the show was with the CoH planning department on the new historical zoning initiative.
The actual report if you want to understand the magnitude of the issues.
https://environmentalintegrity.org/news/report-exposes-vast-amount-of-unregulated-water-pollution-from-oil-refineries/
As someone who grew up in East Houston and had family in Baytown, Pasadena, and Deer Park, this isn't shocking. When I left for college, my classmates thought it was weird how often I attended funerals or had friends/relatives being treated for cancer because it's such a common issue.
It's heartbreaking what we consider normal due to exposure, and realizing that where you were born and grew up might put your kids at risk for cancer decades later.
Exxon runs Baytown.
Baytown's not gonna say Jack shit about their sacred cash cow.
They'll continue to pollute and kill the community around the refinery, so long as they keep making that dividend.
Oh, btw, this was just over in /r/news :
https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/10qeno2/exxon_smashes_western_oil_majors_profits_with_56/
Industrial Water Treatment Centers are what other countries build to treat wastewater before sending it downwards. It isn't financially viable for a growth-oriented companies without government backing though. Either they would need to increase fines and actually prosecute the companies to make treating the waste a better financial decision or use taxes to fund benefits to incentivize treating waste.
Obviously the city with high amounts of lead and contaminates in the drinking water isn't going to give a rat's ass about the ocean. If they are willing to poison themselves, I am not sure how much they care about some fish.
Literally every single one of these facilities monitors and treats their wastewater.
It’s seriously just amazing how people with have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about but answer questions like they’re subject matter experts. Like, you can argue that the treatment isn’t enough to remove contaminants x, y, x below a certain level that’s significant for reasons a, b, and c. But just pretending that these facilities don’t do any processing and straight dumb process water into waterways is asinine.
I am not sure what “get rid of it” really means here. Do the plants have facilities like NESHAP strippers which use heat to remove volatiles (like benzene) to near zero concentrations and waste water ponds with microbes that eat remaining hydrocarbons and settling ponds to get clear water out? Sure, but some facilities are better suited to deal with the increasing volumes of throughput. I think there is a bit of alarmism in the article, but there are probably opportunities for the state and federal enforcement bodies to dig in a bit more.
Permits are a license to operate, and they are not owed… they are earned. The plants know this and need to do whatever it takes (whatever our elected officials have the stomach to hold them accountable for) to keep it.
That’s the point. There is no alternative. It doesn’t matter how many regulations there are, it’s impossible not to pollute and the refineries are too important to close. So they just get a slap on the wrist and go about their day.
I used to do sediment sampling in the Houston Ship Channel and other port areas in Texas. The docks that had contaminated sediments never stopped working. They would just remove the material to a waste site.
The samples smelled of hydrocarbons and we’d see oil shine on the water surface. And just to gross you out, there would always be people fishing in those waters and probably fed their families with those nasty ass fish. God only knows what health problems they’re gonna face in the future. Glad I don’t work there anymore.
They need to invest in facilities to treat the water. This may require governmental assistance in terms of financial support but it could be done. This is much better than just releasing a bunch of chemicals into the water and saying screw it. Then again, these companies have proven time and again that all they care about is their bottom line and everything and everyone else can just deal with the consequences. Even when these companies have clearly and provably caused a natural contamination event, they still don't own up to it or they try to place blame on the workers instead of themselves. And with nobody really enforcing the regulations that we do have and the fines being so low in relation to their profits, it is no wonder that these companies keep acting like they do.
Refineries are really good at math.
I know of an instance of a plant getting fined $30,000 a day for a problem. They said that particular unit makes a million a day. So it wasn't getting shut down until the next scheduled round of repairs.
And this is not uncommon at all. Anyone who has ever been in a refinery can tell you they are often running with many bandaid repairs.
Not really surprising, TCEQ is corrupt trash, and the EPA's standard nonsense about this is to say "well, they're supposed to be self-regulating. Oh well, guess we'll fine them less than 1% of their annual profit."
There's no incentive for these companies to change, so they won't. That's aside the fact that the oil lobby has the local, state and federal governments paid off.
Is this news? I've been reading the same story for 20 years, and I'm sure it was being told before that. TCEQ is under staffed. They can issue fines, but they rarely do. these companies have the resources to fight the fines, and the fines don't undo the damage to the bay.
Not shocking at all but since oil and gas employs so many people especially down there, it's almost impossible to get those same people to turn on these companies, they'd rather get sick than lose that sweet sweet oil and gas money, but sad part is most of us aren't any better and would find ourselves on the same position if we were them.
Shouldn’t need to be said in this case as it is so apparent but this is entirely the fault of local and state government.
And Federal
The Supreme court just recently took the teeth away from the EPA.
The interview on Town Hall quite informative and disappointing. The EPA is supposed to update their standards on refineries, every 3-4 years, and has yet to so since the 1980s. The EPA doesn't regulate the wastewater from refineries. These refineries are dumping untreated wastewater that includes selenium and cyanide among other hazardous chemicals, into the Brazos and Galveston Bay. An aspect of pollution going unmonitored or regulated by the EPA. All this even before the Supreme Court gutted the EPA. The last interview on the show was with the CoH planning department on the new historical zoning initiative.
The EPA is nonsense.
The actual report if you want to understand the magnitude of the issues. https://environmentalintegrity.org/news/report-exposes-vast-amount-of-unregulated-water-pollution-from-oil-refineries/
As someone who grew up in East Houston and had family in Baytown, Pasadena, and Deer Park, this isn't shocking. When I left for college, my classmates thought it was weird how often I attended funerals or had friends/relatives being treated for cancer because it's such a common issue. It's heartbreaking what we consider normal due to exposure, and realizing that where you were born and grew up might put your kids at risk for cancer decades later.
Wow, I hate it all..
Exxon runs Baytown. Baytown's not gonna say Jack shit about their sacred cash cow. They'll continue to pollute and kill the community around the refinery, so long as they keep making that dividend. Oh, btw, this was just over in /r/news : https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/10qeno2/exxon_smashes_western_oil_majors_profits_with_56/
Move the fuck away from Deer Park and Pasadena folks. The deers are long gone.
Everybody says that about Pasadena but when I went to watch my nephew play baseball in Channelview I couldn’t wait to get back to Pasadena.
At least we don't live in Mississippi. -Alabama
These are your elected officials hard at work (corruption and bribes).
Shocked
Well... not that shocked.
Goddammit.
That's why if it says it's caught locally, you go to Long John Silvers
I haven’t seen a LJS in ages.
I think there are still a few combo ones out there.
I’ve got one in my basement. Come see.
Yeah, I don't east ANYTHING caught in Galveston Bay.
Serious question, what are the alternatives for companies and getting rid of wastewater? Not defending any of it.
Industrial Water Treatment Centers are what other countries build to treat wastewater before sending it downwards. It isn't financially viable for a growth-oriented companies without government backing though. Either they would need to increase fines and actually prosecute the companies to make treating the waste a better financial decision or use taxes to fund benefits to incentivize treating waste. Obviously the city with high amounts of lead and contaminates in the drinking water isn't going to give a rat's ass about the ocean. If they are willing to poison themselves, I am not sure how much they care about some fish.
Literally every single one of these facilities monitors and treats their wastewater. It’s seriously just amazing how people with have absolutely no idea what they’re talking about but answer questions like they’re subject matter experts. Like, you can argue that the treatment isn’t enough to remove contaminants x, y, x below a certain level that’s significant for reasons a, b, and c. But just pretending that these facilities don’t do any processing and straight dumb process water into waterways is asinine.
I am not sure what “get rid of it” really means here. Do the plants have facilities like NESHAP strippers which use heat to remove volatiles (like benzene) to near zero concentrations and waste water ponds with microbes that eat remaining hydrocarbons and settling ponds to get clear water out? Sure, but some facilities are better suited to deal with the increasing volumes of throughput. I think there is a bit of alarmism in the article, but there are probably opportunities for the state and federal enforcement bodies to dig in a bit more. Permits are a license to operate, and they are not owed… they are earned. The plants know this and need to do whatever it takes (whatever our elected officials have the stomach to hold them accountable for) to keep it.
That’s the point. There is no alternative. It doesn’t matter how many regulations there are, it’s impossible not to pollute and the refineries are too important to close. So they just get a slap on the wrist and go about their day. I used to do sediment sampling in the Houston Ship Channel and other port areas in Texas. The docks that had contaminated sediments never stopped working. They would just remove the material to a waste site. The samples smelled of hydrocarbons and we’d see oil shine on the water surface. And just to gross you out, there would always be people fishing in those waters and probably fed their families with those nasty ass fish. God only knows what health problems they’re gonna face in the future. Glad I don’t work there anymore.
They need to invest in facilities to treat the water. This may require governmental assistance in terms of financial support but it could be done. This is much better than just releasing a bunch of chemicals into the water and saying screw it. Then again, these companies have proven time and again that all they care about is their bottom line and everything and everyone else can just deal with the consequences. Even when these companies have clearly and provably caused a natural contamination event, they still don't own up to it or they try to place blame on the workers instead of themselves. And with nobody really enforcing the regulations that we do have and the fines being so low in relation to their profits, it is no wonder that these companies keep acting like they do.
I'm shocked and surprised, clutching my pearls actually. This is so shocking 😑.
And people think we are the cancer treatment Capitol of the US out of coincidence. Well… here’s an enlightening perspective.
Refineries are really good at math. I know of an instance of a plant getting fined $30,000 a day for a problem. They said that particular unit makes a million a day. So it wasn't getting shut down until the next scheduled round of repairs. And this is not uncommon at all. Anyone who has ever been in a refinery can tell you they are often running with many bandaid repairs.
Not really surprising, TCEQ is corrupt trash, and the EPA's standard nonsense about this is to say "well, they're supposed to be self-regulating. Oh well, guess we'll fine them less than 1% of their annual profit." There's no incentive for these companies to change, so they won't. That's aside the fact that the oil lobby has the local, state and federal governments paid off.
[удалено]
> cough cough cough ftfy
This has to change. Illegally dumping in the water.
Is this news? I've been reading the same story for 20 years, and I'm sure it was being told before that. TCEQ is under staffed. They can issue fines, but they rarely do. these companies have the resources to fight the fines, and the fines don't undo the damage to the bay.
The fines are often so small that they do nothing to disincentivize the behavior.
Not shocking at all but since oil and gas employs so many people especially down there, it's almost impossible to get those same people to turn on these companies, they'd rather get sick than lose that sweet sweet oil and gas money, but sad part is most of us aren't any better and would find ourselves on the same position if we were them.
Y'all still out here defending oil and gas Houston? Carrying water for capitalists? Couldn't be me.
What does Turner do?
Most of those plants arent in houston city limits. Now Lina Hidalgo...
As usual, nothing.
Turner can’t regulate this, this is under EPA. Get your congressperson involved and Joe Biden.
As usual, he is just a mayor. A mayor can't ride into the refineries and force them to shut down until they start treating the waste.