Yesterday the TCEQ remanded the air permit for the proposed Las Brisas petroleum-coke plant back to the State Office of Administrative Hearings. What they didn’t do is require the facility to do what’s called a case-by-case analysis of MACT (Maximum Achievable Control Technology) for Hazardous Air Pollutants. In effect, TCEQ (the agency tasked with protecting [...]
Posts Tagged ‘Air Quality’
TCEQ Decides That Regulating Pollution Isn’t Their Job
Posted in Air Quality, Global Warming, Good Government, TCEQ, Toxics, tagged Air Quality, Carbon Dioxide, climate change, Environmental Protection Agency, Global Warming, public citizen texas, solar power on July 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
GasLand: A Must Watch Documentary
Posted in Energy, Global Warming, natural gas, Renewables, solar, tagged air pollution, Air Quality, documentary, drinking water, faucet on fire, fracking, gasland, HBO, HBO Documentaries, josh fox, Larry King, Larry King Live, natural gas drilling, oil and gas wells, pipe explosion, rig explosion, T. Boone Pickens, water, water on fire, Water Pollution, Water Quality on June 23, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
A few days ago, Larry King interviewed T. Boone Pickens and if you were watching it, you heard him condemn the spill and the US dependence on oil then he raved about natural gas and how safe it is to drill for it. Pickens is not the first. Many have claimed that natural gas is [...]
Texas’ Political Culture Protects ‘Economic’ Interest Over Environment
Posted in Campaign Finance, Energy, Global Warming, Good Government, green jobs, Renewables, TCEQ, Toxics, tagged Air Quality, climate change, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Global Warming, TCEQ on June 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
It was a bit surprising that the EPA finally has taken a stand against the TCEQ’s practices of giving “flexible permits.” Prominent Texas politicians including the governor criticized the action taken by the EPA and once again, Gov Perry used a very important local issue to launch his attacks on the Federal government as part [...]
EPA Approves Tougher Pollution Emission Limits
Posted in Global Warming, tagged Air Quality, climate change, Coal, coal plant, emissions, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, Public Citizen, SO2, sulfur dioxide on June 4, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Federal environmental regulators set new limits on sulfur dioxide emissions for the first time in 40 years. A move that could prevent thousands of asthma attacks and premature deaths while reducing health care costs.. The new rules, which take effect under court order, will prohibit short-term spikes of sulfur dioxide (SO2), which is primarily emitted [...]
Businesses, Environmental and Low-Income Groups Unite Behind Energy Plan
Posted in Global Warming, tagged 20/20, Air Quality, Applied Materials, austin city council, Austin Energy, cary ferchill, Clean Energy, clean energy for austin, coal plant, coalition, electric utility, electric utility commission, Energy Efficiency, flexibility, fossil fuel reliance, foundation communities, generation and resource planning task force, green businesses, health, Lee Leffingwell, low income residents, matthew johnson, mayor, natural gas, nonprofits, nuclear plant, phillip schmandt, Public Citizen, renewable energy, resource and climate protection plan, Sierra Club, solar, Solar Austin, steve taylor, sunshine mathon, town hall, Weatherization, wind on February 17, 2010 | 2 Comments »
Dozens of businesses and nonprofit organizations as well as more than 200 citizens have formed Clean Energy for Austin, a coalition whose purpose is to push Austin City Council to adopt a clean energy plan. Specifically, the coalition supports the passage of Austin Energy’s Resource and Climate Protection Plan and recommendations of a city task [...]
Houston’s Ozone Compliance Threatened by White Stallion Coal Plant
Posted in Global Warming, tagged Air Quality, al armendariz, ana hernandez, asthma, bay city, beaumont, clean air act, coal plant, colorado river, compliance, environment, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, galveston, health, houston, jessica farrar, kristi thibaut, matagorda county, nox, ozone, ozone standards, parish coal plant, Public Citizen, ryan rittenhouse, smog, state office of administrative hearings, sunset review, TCEQ, Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Legislature, Tom "Smitty" Smith, ttc, white stallion on February 10, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Public Citizen and Area Legislators Urge State to Deny Air Pollution Permit HOUSTON – Area legislators joined Public Citizen this week in urging environmental agencies to deny the White Stallion coal plant its air permit because if built, the facility would degrade air quality in Houston. The emissions from this proposed power plant would exacerbate [...]
Texans Speak Up for Clean Air at Houston EPA Hearing
Posted in Toxics, tagged aaron smith, Air Quality, american lung association, asthma, Bob Malina, clean air, clean air texas, dr neil carman, dr. bonnie new, environmental defense fund, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, galveston-houston alliance for smog prevention, ghasp, Health Professionals for Clean Air, houston, janice nolen, Kids for Clean Air, matagorda county, matthew tejada, mothers for clean air, no coal coalition, ozone, Public Citizen, public citizen texas, public health, public hearing, republican party, respiratory disease, ryan rittenhouse, SEED Coalition, Sierra Club, Texas, Texas Campaign for the Environment, Wendi Hammond, white stallion on February 5, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Earlier this week the Environmental Protection Agency held a public hearing on a newly proposed rule to strengthen federal ozone standards. A coalition of environmental and public health advocates called Clean Air Texas rallied in support of the new rule, which would improve air quality across the state and make our communities healthier. Over a [...]
Energy Generation Plan Presented to Austin City Council
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Renewables, solar, tagged Air Quality, Austin, austin city council, Austin Energy, cap and reduction, Clean Energy, climate protection plan, electric utility commission, emissions reductions, Energy Efficiency, fayette coal plant, generation plan, green jobs, pollution, Public Citizen, renewable energy, renewable energy credits, resource management commission, Roger Duncan, solar, Texas, town hall, wind on February 4, 2010 | 20 Comments »
Last Thursday Austin Energy General Manager Roger Duncan briefed Austin City Council on the utility’s Resource and Climate Protection Plan. This plan is the culmination of 18 months of input from the public, the creation of a generation resource task force of various stakeholders to review various energy plans and make recommendations, and support and [...]
It’s Time to Weigh in on Smog Limits
Posted in Global Warming, tagged Air Quality, american lung association, asthma, bronchitis, clean air texas, emergency room visits, emphysema, environmental defense fund, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, galveston-houston association for smog prevention, houston, matthew tejada, ozone, ozone levels, Public Citizen, public health, Sierra Club, smog, Texas on February 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Check out the video and op-ed below by some of our Clean Air Texas coalition partners about the hearing in Houston tomorrow on the EPA’s new proposed rule to strengthen ozone standards. I’ll be at the hearing tomorrow, along with Ryan Rittenhouse, to represent Public Citizen and interview folks from around the state who’ve come [...]
Dallas Morning News Editorial: Texas, a state of denial on pollution rules
Posted in Toxics, tagged air pollution, Air Quality, Carbon Dioxide, Dallas Morning News, editorial, Environmental Protection Agency, EPA, governor rick perry, ozone, pollution, smog, Texas on January 11, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Great editorial in the Dallas Morning News this weekend. We couldn’t agree more Editorial: Texas, a state of denial on pollution rules To the surprise of no one, the Environmental Protection Agency announced tougher ozone limits this week. The move to tighten pollution standards had long been anticipated as evidence mounted to illustrate the serious [...]
EPA to Announce New Air Quality Standard Limiting Ozone Pollution
Posted in Coal, Energy, Toxics, tagged Air Quality, Austin, beaumont, corpus christi, dallas, EPA, fort worth, galveston, houston, longview, non-attainment, ozone pollution, port arthur, San Antonio, state implementation plan, TCEQ, Texas, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, tyler, Waco on January 6, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Today Texas environmentalists, legislators, and medical practitioners wait with bated breath for an announcement from the EPA about a new air quality standard for ozone pollution. The proposed rule would strengthen the Bush administration’s ozone standard, which did not meet scientific scrutiny or standards to protect public health. Now that scientists have demonstrated that ozone [...]
Year in Review: Top Texas Vox Stories of 2009
Posted in Efficiency, Energy, Global Warming, Nuclear, Renewables, solar, tagged 2009, 2010, 81st legislative session, Air Quality, american petroleum institute, API, astroturf, auld lange syne, calendars, chubbing, City Council, clean air act, Clean Energy, climate, climate legislation, Energy, Energy Citizens, Energy Efficiency, freedomworks, governor perry, green fleets, green gee, Netroots, new year, no regrets, north carolina, Obama administration, public citizen texas, solar districts, solar power, Texas Emissions Reduction Program (TERP), texas vox, voter id on January 4, 2010 | 1 Comment »
Now that the ball’s dropped, toasts made, fireworks popped and black eyed peas consumed, we’re feeling reflective today. Faced with that eternally annual question, “Should Auld Aquaintance Be Forgot?“, I’m moved to such mental poetry as “Heck no, this year was too much fun!” We’ve had a hell of a year here at Texas Vox. [...]
TCEQ Gives Green Light to Another Texas Coal Plant
Posted in Global Warming, tagged air pollution, Air Quality, army corps of engineers, Carbon Dioxide, citizen sarah, clean air act, climate change, co2, coal plant, copenhagen, denmark, environmental integrity project, eva hernandez, Global Warming, Karen Hadden, maximum achievable control technology, mercury, nox, NRG, nrg limestone, ozone, particulate matter, paul rolke, public citizen texas, robertson county our land our lives, robertson couny, ryan rittenhouse, SEED Coalition, Sierra Club, smog, soah, sox, state office of administrative hearings, sunset commission, sunset review, TCEQ, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Tom "Smitty" Smith on December 9, 2009 | 4 Comments »
The dramatic irony of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) decision this morning to grant the NRG Limestone Coal Plant an air permit (and therefore permission to begin construction on a third smokestack) is painful. At the very moment that leaders from around the world are meeting to come to an international agreement to [...]

















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