Texas Refineries Release Over 300,000 Pounds of Pollutants During Storm
A refinery is seen on August 29, 2017, in Deer Park, Texas.
Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
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Winter storm Uri, which killed dozens of people and cut off power to over four million Texans at its peak, also disrupted supplies needed to keep the state’s refineries and petrochemical plants operating. As they shut down, refineries flared or burned off gases in order to prevent damage to their processing units.
According to the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, the five largest refiners emitted nearly 337,000 pounds of pollutants in this manner.
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By Brett Wilkins, Common Dreams Texas oil refineries released hundreds of thousands of pounds of pollutants including benzene, carbon monoxide, hydrogen sulfide, and sulfur dioxide into the air as they scrambled to shut down during last week's deadly winter storm, Reuters reported Sunday. Winter storm Uri, which killed dozens of people and cut off power to over four million
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Texas freeze led to release of tonnes of air pollutants as refineries shut
The largest U.S. oil refiners released tonnes of air pollutants into the skies over Texas this past week, according to figures provided to the state, as one environmental crisis triggered another.
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Posted: Feb 21, 2021 7:49 AM ET | Last Updated: February 21
Houston s LyondellBasell refinery, seen in this file photo from 2019, was forced to shut most of its processing units due to the cold snap. Shutdowns of refineries in Texas during the deep freeze led to the facilities burning gases to prevent damage to the units.(Loren Elliott/AFP via Getty Images)