Following reporting by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune and attention from the EPA inspector general, the agency announced plans to "inform and engage" communities about elevated cancer risk from ethylene oxide. It should have done so years ago.
An explosion at a liquefied natural gas terminal in Freeport, Texas, in early June sparked a fire that emitted toxic air pollution. The national conversation about the incident quickly pivoted to global energy economics, but residents of fence-line communities worry about what the rapidly expanding industry means for their safety.
A dozen refineries reportedly exceeded the EPA’s limit on average benzene emissions last year, including San Antonio-based Valero s facility in St. Charles, La.
Five Texas refineries exceeded federal pollution limits of the carcinogenic chemical benzene in 2021, according to an Environmental Integrity Project analysis.