skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: Chemical Plants Spewing Toxins Across Texas

play audio
Play

Friday, April 29, 2016   

AUSTIN, Texas - Preventable breakdowns and maintenance errors are causing chemical plants across Texas to spew tons of toxic substances into the air each year, according to a new report.

The Environmental Integrity Project and Environment Texas report said that despite the release of deadly substances, state regulators are doing too little to address the problem. Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, said chemical plants released more than 68 million pounds of toxic substances last year.

"The pollution includes things like benzene, which is a known carcinogen," he said, and "soot pollution, which can bypass your nose and throat and go deep into your lungs and bloodstream, causing heart attacks, lung disease, even premature death."

Metzger said the groups compiled the "Breakdowns in Air Quality" study from incident reports filed with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, and believe the agency often is too lenient with polluters. TCEQ officials have called the report "untrue" and "misleading," saying they act consistently within the state's regulatory framework.

Metzger said the report lists the top 10 worst industrial polluters in Texas for each of five different pollutants. He said it also shows how the state's major cities compare in terms of pollution caused by plant malfunctions.

"In most cases, these malfunctions and maintenance pollution are entirely preventable," he said. "If the companies invested the money and took the time and made the effort, they could dramatically reduce the pollution."

Metzger said the report contains a list of recommendations for solving the problem, but added that, in his experience, consistent enforcement of state and federal laws -- with appropriate financial penalties -- is the most effective way to rein in polluters.

The report is online at environmenttexas.org.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021