CRISIS/ENERGY/EPA/TEXAS: “Hobbled oil refineries and damaged fuel facilities along the Gulf Coast of Texas from Tropical storm Harvey have released more than two million pounds of dangerous chemicals into the air this week, adding new health threats to Houston’s already considerable woes.
The big spike in releases, which include carcinogenic benzene and nitrogen oxide, will add an environmental and long-term health risk to the region that’s struggling with the massive flooding that Harvey has brought to the country’s energy capital, according to environmental watchdogs.
The jump in emissions has been noticed on the ground in Houston, where residents have taken to Twitter to report a stronger-than-normal chemical smell in some areas…
That level of chemicals released this week from ‘unplanned events,’ which typically exclude normal day-to-day operations, was equal to the average amount measured over a three-month period last year, he said…
The Gulf Coast is home to nearly a quarter of the U.S. fuel refining output and half the country’s chemical manufacturing. The storm has cut power to nearly 300,000 people in Texas, forced 13 refineries to shut down and caused another five to ramp down operations, according to the latest information from the Department of Energy…
An EPA spokeswoman did not immediately return calls for comment. The EPA, whose funding Trump has sought to slash, is in charge of monitoring the area air quality. Trump has not yet appointed a director to the agency’s Texas district.”
-Ben Lefebvre, “Harvey triggers spike in hazardous chemical releases,” Politico, Aug. 29, 2017 06:02pm