By: Duane Craig
It’s a good bet Texas has reasons other than self determination for having its own air quality implementation program and control over how environmental issues are regulated in the state. Those reasons come to light by analyzing its fee schedules for permitting the polluters to pollute, for inspecting their operations, for allowing them to do business in the state and for doing business on state owned properties.
As a line item in the 2010 Texas State Budget report, all licenses, fees, permits, fines and penalties equaled almost $7 billion in 2010. The oil and gas industry is a heavy polluter so besides fines and penalties, oil production and regulation taxes accounted for a little more than $1 billion in 2010. Then there is the natural gas production tax bringing in $725 million, the gas utility pipeline tax earning $14 million, a volatile chemical sales permit totaling $602,000, a few fuels transport taxes and oil and gas drilling permits at almost $9 million and oil and gas violations bringing in more than $4.6 million. Surface mining permits added another $1.5 million with air pollution control fees stacking up to $49 million. Then there are waste treatment inspection fees at $25.2 million, air pollution control fees of $49 million. Then there are all the oil and gas royalties Texas collects from oil companies with operations on state land which total more than $540 million.
Some people in Texas have wondered about the effectiveness of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality when they see how deeply the money flows between it and polluters. At the TCEQ’s first legislative review held in December 2010, the agency was accused of “being too cozy with industry and ignoring public concerns,” and it was especially challenged to explain the approval of coal-fired power plant permits that had been recommended for denial by the state’s own administrative law judges, according to the article “TCEQ gets an earful from public,” 12/16/2010, Houston Chronicle.
What many people haven’t really grasped yet is that governments depend upon polluting industries for operating revenues. In a way, pollution is big business, supplying money for state payrolls and operations related to managing it. Perhaps though, there is a conflict of interest when a state regulates a business that it also receives royalties from, a situation that could lead to more lax regulation when it comes to the environment.
Water Contamination, Land Pollution & Hazardous Waste Material are issues families all across America are afflicted with daily.
Showing posts with label environmental risk. Show all posts
Showing posts with label environmental risk. Show all posts
Friday, February 3, 2012
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Contaminated Bayou Waterway Falls Prey To Political Shenanigans
By: Duane Craig
Cedar Bayou is a meandering stream that forms the boundary between Harris and Chambers Counties. It drains into Galveston Bay and the floodplain that surrounds it is considered to be a critical wildlife habitat.
In 2002 Cedar bayou was listed in the state’s list of impaired water bodies because of dioxin being found in edible water life. In 2006, an impairment was added because of bacteria, and in 2008, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were found in edible water life as well. The bayou has a drainage area of more than 200 square miles, 128 open stream miles and flows through land occupied by 32,592 people.
Residences and parks line the Harris County side of the bayou while the Chambers County side plays host to industry. A seven-member board oversees the waterway and recently the Chambers side attempted to oust the two board members from the Harris side, according to this story in the Houston Chronicle. The plotters developed a bill to introduce in the state’s legislature that would take away the Harris County board members’ rights to vote and the next Harris County member due to rotate into the president’s position would be stopped from doing so. Read the fascinating story at the link above.
Cedar Bayou is a meandering stream that forms the boundary between Harris and Chambers Counties. It drains into Galveston Bay and the floodplain that surrounds it is considered to be a critical wildlife habitat.
In 2002 Cedar bayou was listed in the state’s list of impaired water bodies because of dioxin being found in edible water life. In 2006, an impairment was added because of bacteria, and in 2008, polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, were found in edible water life as well. The bayou has a drainage area of more than 200 square miles, 128 open stream miles and flows through land occupied by 32,592 people.
Residences and parks line the Harris County side of the bayou while the Chambers County side plays host to industry. A seven-member board oversees the waterway and recently the Chambers side attempted to oust the two board members from the Harris side, according to this story in the Houston Chronicle. The plotters developed a bill to introduce in the state’s legislature that would take away the Harris County board members’ rights to vote and the next Harris County member due to rotate into the president’s position would be stopped from doing so. Read the fascinating story at the link above.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Investigations Continue in Happy Texas to Uncover Local Environmental Issues
By: Duane Craig
The Environmental Protection Agency is overseeing a further investigation on current environmental issues at the North East 2nd Street Site (formerly called Attebury) in Happy, Texas. Happy sits 35 miles south of downtown Amarillo and was the home to Attebury Grain, a company providing grain storage.
In 1962, a fire wiped out the grain storage facility, and those fighting the fire used an unknown amount of carbon tetrachloride to put it out. Later, soil vapor tests and sampling of the groundwater by the state exposed a list of environmental issues, including carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, methylene chloride and other chemicals at the site. While the Santa Rosa aquifer, the one supplying the public water supply to Happy, is not affected, the larger Ogallala aquifer is, and that forced the abandonment of one residential well and one city well.
Soil gas samples done in 2009 told investigators where to lay out a grid pattern of soil gas diffusion samplers that were expected to show where concentrations of volatile organic compounds lay. Potential source areas were discovered, and the next step will be an investigation that maps out the nature and extent of the environmental issues there.
This site is at 201 North Gordon along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad tracks. The site is between Northwest 3rd Street and Northwest 2nd Streets, and it is east of Talley Avenue. This site is in Swisher County.
The Environmental Protection Agency is overseeing a further investigation on current environmental issues at the North East 2nd Street Site (formerly called Attebury) in Happy, Texas. Happy sits 35 miles south of downtown Amarillo and was the home to Attebury Grain, a company providing grain storage.
In 1962, a fire wiped out the grain storage facility, and those fighting the fire used an unknown amount of carbon tetrachloride to put it out. Later, soil vapor tests and sampling of the groundwater by the state exposed a list of environmental issues, including carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, 1,2-dichloroethane, methylene chloride and other chemicals at the site. While the Santa Rosa aquifer, the one supplying the public water supply to Happy, is not affected, the larger Ogallala aquifer is, and that forced the abandonment of one residential well and one city well.
Soil gas samples done in 2009 told investigators where to lay out a grid pattern of soil gas diffusion samplers that were expected to show where concentrations of volatile organic compounds lay. Potential source areas were discovered, and the next step will be an investigation that maps out the nature and extent of the environmental issues there.
This site is at 201 North Gordon along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railroad tracks. The site is between Northwest 3rd Street and Northwest 2nd Streets, and it is east of Talley Avenue. This site is in Swisher County.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
EPA Updates Ector County Superfund Site
By: Duane Craig
The public comment period wrapped up for the East 67th Street Superfund site north of Odessa, Texas, and the Environmental Protection Agency has outlined the proposed plan for cleaning up the current environmental issues there, according to the EPA’s recent status report.
A plume of contaminated groundwater roughly follows 67th Street and is bounded in the four compass directions by Yukon Road, VFW Lane, Andrews Highway and Alderfer Avenue. The contamination is a combination of 15,000 gallons of alcohol- and naphtha-based solvents and 635 gallons of tetrachloroethylene, or PCE. The EPA characterizes the contamination as being “an intentional release … from the former Delta Chemical facility (now Brenntag) located on East 67th Street.”
This is a particularly sensitive area from the perspective of groundwater aquifers because it is one place where the waters of the Trinity and Ogallala aquifers are interconnected, according to this report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The remedies are expected to include bringing municipal water to those whose wells are affected, injecting solutions into the plume that will speed up the decomposition of the chemicals, extracting and treating polluted water, setting up a soil vapor extraction system and plugging existing wells that could allow contaminated water to migrate between the aquifers.
The public comment period wrapped up for the East 67th Street Superfund site north of Odessa, Texas, and the Environmental Protection Agency has outlined the proposed plan for cleaning up the current environmental issues there, according to the EPA’s recent status report.
A plume of contaminated groundwater roughly follows 67th Street and is bounded in the four compass directions by Yukon Road, VFW Lane, Andrews Highway and Alderfer Avenue. The contamination is a combination of 15,000 gallons of alcohol- and naphtha-based solvents and 635 gallons of tetrachloroethylene, or PCE. The EPA characterizes the contamination as being “an intentional release … from the former Delta Chemical facility (now Brenntag) located on East 67th Street.”
This is a particularly sensitive area from the perspective of groundwater aquifers because it is one place where the waters of the Trinity and Ogallala aquifers are interconnected, according to this report by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
The remedies are expected to include bringing municipal water to those whose wells are affected, injecting solutions into the plume that will speed up the decomposition of the chemicals, extracting and treating polluted water, setting up a soil vapor extraction system and plugging existing wells that could allow contaminated water to migrate between the aquifers.
Monday, January 30, 2012
Perryton on Track to Leave Contamination in Place
By: Duane Craig
Residents of Perryton, Texas, will no doubt be accepting the possibility that water in an interval of the Ogallala Aquifer will remain contaminated with carbon tetrachloride, according to a recent updateto that site’s Superfund status.
The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public comment period to get input on its proposal to name the upper interval of the aquifer under one portion of town as technically impractical to clean up. That upper zone of the Ogallala is not considered to be a section of the aquifer that is a productive zone for water supplies in the area because the city draws water from the lower portion of the aquifer.
The local environmental issues associated with the groundwater were discovered in the late ’80s when one of the city’s wells tested positive for carbon tetrachloride. It was taken out of service, and over the years a pump-and-treat system was installed in the lower part of the aquifer to cleanup the chemical. That process is in its seventh year and has cleaned up the lower aquifer. The well that was taken out of service was capable of acting as a pathway for contamination to travel from the upper portion of the aquifer to the lower. That well has been plugged to prevent the contamination from migrating.
The contamination in the upper aquifer is bounded by Brillhart Street, First Street, Colgate Street and State Route 83.
Residents of Perryton, Texas, will no doubt be accepting the possibility that water in an interval of the Ogallala Aquifer will remain contaminated with carbon tetrachloride, according to a recent updateto that site’s Superfund status.
The Environmental Protection Agency is holding a public comment period to get input on its proposal to name the upper interval of the aquifer under one portion of town as technically impractical to clean up. That upper zone of the Ogallala is not considered to be a section of the aquifer that is a productive zone for water supplies in the area because the city draws water from the lower portion of the aquifer.
The local environmental issues associated with the groundwater were discovered in the late ’80s when one of the city’s wells tested positive for carbon tetrachloride. It was taken out of service, and over the years a pump-and-treat system was installed in the lower part of the aquifer to cleanup the chemical. That process is in its seventh year and has cleaned up the lower aquifer. The well that was taken out of service was capable of acting as a pathway for contamination to travel from the upper portion of the aquifer to the lower. That well has been plugged to prevent the contamination from migrating.
The contamination in the upper aquifer is bounded by Brillhart Street, First Street, Colgate Street and State Route 83.
Friday, January 27, 2012
Abilene Looks into Sidestepping Potential Contamination
By: Duane Craig
Abilene, Texas, is eyeing the possibility of sidestepping its potential current environmental issues by adopting a municipal setting designation for its downtown area, according to this report at KTXS.com. City leaders recognize that after years of dry cleaning and automotive businesses being located there and the years of road construction activities, the groundwater is likely contaminated.
If there is contamination, the extent is not known, and some in the city would rather not know. Instead, they’d like to just get on with attracting new business. Part of that plan may include designating the area as one where people can’t use the groundwater for potable purposes if it is within the top 150 feet of soil. It also means that interested businesses wouldn’t have to do any cleanups related to water. They would, however, have to address “any other kinds of contamination.” The state’s environmental commission would have to approve the designation and terms the city sets forth.
Abilene’s original Town North area includes streets roughly bounded by U.S. Business Route 83, College Drive, Beech Street and South Seventh Street.
Abilene, Texas, is eyeing the possibility of sidestepping its potential current environmental issues by adopting a municipal setting designation for its downtown area, according to this report at KTXS.com. City leaders recognize that after years of dry cleaning and automotive businesses being located there and the years of road construction activities, the groundwater is likely contaminated.
If there is contamination, the extent is not known, and some in the city would rather not know. Instead, they’d like to just get on with attracting new business. Part of that plan may include designating the area as one where people can’t use the groundwater for potable purposes if it is within the top 150 feet of soil. It also means that interested businesses wouldn’t have to do any cleanups related to water. They would, however, have to address “any other kinds of contamination.” The state’s environmental commission would have to approve the designation and terms the city sets forth.
Abilene’s original Town North area includes streets roughly bounded by U.S. Business Route 83, College Drive, Beech Street and South Seventh Street.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Corpus Superfund Site Nears Cleanup
By: Duane Craig
The Brine Service Company Superfund Site in Corpus Christi, Texas, moves a step closer to having its list of environmental issues addressed with the completion of its Phase 2 report.
This site is about six miles west of the downtown area along the north side of Interstate 37 near Goldston Road. From the mid-1940s through the 1960s, Brine disposed of wastes in a couple of pits on the property. The environmental issues didn’t come to light until 1997 when a pipeline company that was laying pipe to connect two refineries unearthed waste including barium, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury, as well as several organic compounds. The organic compounds identified included naphthalene, phenanthrene, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, xylenes, 2,4-dimethylphenol, acenaphthene, 2-methylphenol (o-cresol), 3&4 methylphenol (m&p cresol), and phenol.
Water draining from the site eventually ends up in Tule Lake before flowing out to the Corpus Christi harbor and bay. Tule Lake is quite shallow and is a wildlife sanctuary that is home to various aquatic birds, including several listed on the state’s threatened species list. The bay supports commercial and recreational fishing.
The Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) that is underway will include an assessment of the risks the site poses to the environment and to humans. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry completed a health consultation on the site in late 2003. At that time, it found no conclusive evidence the site was endangering the public, except for those people whose wells had levels of arsenic that would end up exceeding safe levels in 2006 because of a planned lowering of the maximum contaminant level in that year. There were 15 wells where that was the case.
The Brine Service Company Superfund Site in Corpus Christi, Texas, moves a step closer to having its list of environmental issues addressed with the completion of its Phase 2 report.
This site is about six miles west of the downtown area along the north side of Interstate 37 near Goldston Road. From the mid-1940s through the 1960s, Brine disposed of wastes in a couple of pits on the property. The environmental issues didn’t come to light until 1997 when a pipeline company that was laying pipe to connect two refineries unearthed waste including barium, cadmium, chromium, lead and mercury, as well as several organic compounds. The organic compounds identified included naphthalene, phenanthrene, benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene, xylenes, 2,4-dimethylphenol, acenaphthene, 2-methylphenol (o-cresol), 3&4 methylphenol (m&p cresol), and phenol.
Water draining from the site eventually ends up in Tule Lake before flowing out to the Corpus Christi harbor and bay. Tule Lake is quite shallow and is a wildlife sanctuary that is home to various aquatic birds, including several listed on the state’s threatened species list. The bay supports commercial and recreational fishing.
The Remedial Investigation and Feasibility Study (RI/FS) that is underway will include an assessment of the risks the site poses to the environment and to humans. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry completed a health consultation on the site in late 2003. At that time, it found no conclusive evidence the site was endangering the public, except for those people whose wells had levels of arsenic that would end up exceeding safe levels in 2006 because of a planned lowering of the maximum contaminant level in that year. There were 15 wells where that was the case.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Texas Taps ARRA for Longview Cleanup
By: Duane Craig
Gregg County, Texas, has received almost $64 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to Window on State Government, and a portion of that is going toward cleaning up local environmental issues at Longview.
The now-bankrupt Garland Creosoting treated wood with creosote from 1960 to 1997 in Longview, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s update on the Superfund site. This is a triangular site that is roughly bounded by Garland Road, South Eastman Road and Estes Drive. The City of Longview now considers the property’s best use to be for high-intensity retail business.
Garland used six tanks to recycle wastes from its operations and then placed those wastes into unlined impoundments on the soil’s surface. Between 1985 and 1989, investigators installed 12 monitoring wells to track the previously discovered groundwater contaminated with creosote. Operators of the wells discovered a “dense non-aqueous phase liquid,” or DNAPL, contaminating the groundwater. Garland closed the impoundments, removed the water and capped them to prevent further migration of the sludge. Garland then operated a groundwater recovery and treatment system until 1997 when it declared bankruptcy.
Long-term recovery actions have been taken over by a contractor, and those operations of recovery and treatment of leachate are expected to continue for another 10 years.
Gregg County, Texas, has received almost $64 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, according to Window on State Government, and a portion of that is going toward cleaning up local environmental issues at Longview.
The now-bankrupt Garland Creosoting treated wood with creosote from 1960 to 1997 in Longview, according to the Environmental Protection Agency’s update on the Superfund site. This is a triangular site that is roughly bounded by Garland Road, South Eastman Road and Estes Drive. The City of Longview now considers the property’s best use to be for high-intensity retail business.
Garland used six tanks to recycle wastes from its operations and then placed those wastes into unlined impoundments on the soil’s surface. Between 1985 and 1989, investigators installed 12 monitoring wells to track the previously discovered groundwater contaminated with creosote. Operators of the wells discovered a “dense non-aqueous phase liquid,” or DNAPL, contaminating the groundwater. Garland closed the impoundments, removed the water and capped them to prevent further migration of the sludge. Garland then operated a groundwater recovery and treatment system until 1997 when it declared bankruptcy.
Long-term recovery actions have been taken over by a contractor, and those operations of recovery and treatment of leachate are expected to continue for another 10 years.
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