This is a picture of Texas Petrochemical Plant having an "upset". Upset emissions often occur when equipment breaks down or due to “unavoidable” accidents. TPC is a stones throw from the community of Allendale that was featured in the Houston Chronicle investigation "In Harms Way". Over 100 toxic industrial releases were reported during the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey the Houston Chronicle reported on March 25th, 2018.
Stormy Water. August 26, 2017.
This is a picture of Sims Metal Management, a "recycling plant" that lines Buffalo Bayou on Houston's East End. This site has flooded several times and concern about industrial runoff from this site increases. They take in all kinds of mixed metals, from household appliances to industrial drums.
Discomforting. September 7, 2017.
Formosa released over 1.3 million pounds of toxic gases, like benzene, during startup after Hurricane Harvey. These "controlled emissions", as they are often called, bring little comfort to near residents. Formosa released the most reported air emissions in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey. "Gov. Greg Abbot suspended over a dozen rules related to air pollution, spill prevention and control, underground injection wells, underground and above ground storage tanks, and waste" (Victoria Advocate, August 29, 2017).
¡Sí, se huele! (Yes, it smells!) August 26, 2017.
A picture of Cesar Chavez High School. When the school was being built, community members with the group UCER (now t.e.j.a.s.) raised concerns about its proximity to Texas Petrochemical. "From 2007-11, the largest facilities across Texas spewed almost 180 million pounds of upset emissions, contamination on top of the 14.8 billion pounds of routine air emissions" (Poisoned Places, 2011). This school was dubbed "Separate but Toxic: The Houston environmental magnet school that's an environmental catastrophe" by the Texas Observer in 2007.
