The international human rights organization found that people in communities near the ship channel, which are predominantly low-income communities of color, have life expectancies up to 20 years shorter than largely white and affluent areas about 15 miles away. Amnesty International pinned the problem on the petrochemical industry as well as state and federal environmental regulators.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, after pushback and outcry from stakeholders in the Houston area, has updated its air quality standards permit for concrete batch plants, which are known to emit fine particulate matter that can be harmful to human health. Some say the new requirements do not go far enough.