Houston Number One, Again

For the second year in a row, the Houston-Galveston area recorded the most ground-level ozone exceedance days and the highest ozone reading in the United States. An ozone exceedance day occurs when any one of the 25 air monitors in the eight county area (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller) measures ground-level ozone concentrations greater than the federal health standard (120 parts per billion).

During the 2000 ozone season (March through November), the Houston area had 44 days when ozone readings were above the health limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. This number was 4 days more than Los Angeles' 40. Additionally, the City of Houston also recorded an ozone concentration of 225 parts per billion (ppb) at its northeast monitor - the highest ozone concentration in the country for the year. The year 2000 was almost a repeat of 1999, the first year Houston's ozone problem became worse than Los Angeles'.

Houston Clean Air Plan Inadequate

Since May 1997, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) has been working on a new plan to clean up the air in Houston. Curiously, on December 6 the TNRCC finalized a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to be sent to the EPA that currently falls short of that goal. Fifty tons per day of NOx reductions are still needed for the Houston-Galveston area to meet the clean air standard for ozone by 2007. Some unpopular pollution reductions such as a 55-mph speed limit and a ban on morning use of diesel construction equipment remained in the plan, but other measures such as low sulfur gasoline and cleaner-burning diesel were eliminated. Fortunately, the TNRCC remained firm on a 90% cut in industrial sources of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions - one of the pollutants that forms ozone. Included with the SIP was a list of strategies that could amount to the needed reductions when the technology becomes available. (See http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/oprd/hgasip.html for a complete list of measures.)

EPA received the plan in December and TNRCC expects to submit revisions to cover the final 50 tons by July 2001. EPA is expected to approve the plan by the end of 2002. At that time, the public will have 30 days to comment on the approved plan.

Dirty Diesel to be Cleaned

Have you ever wondered why you must have pollution control equipment and regular inspections on your car when diesel trucks and buses belch out thick black smoke? A new rule announced by the U.S. EPA will soon put an end to that disparity. Limits on sulfur levels in diesel fuel will reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 90%. High sulfur levels have prevented use of pollution control equipment in diesel engines. With reduced sulfur in diesel fuels, existing technology for cleaner burning diesel trucks and buses will be phased in over the next seven years.

Particulate Air Pollution Causes Deaths

Two recent studies examined the health effects of breathing particulate matter released from diesel engines and power plants. (See related article on page 3). Particulate matter is made up of tiny pieces of soot that are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs.

A study conducted at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found a link between particulate pollution and death rates in 20 large cities, including Houston.¹ This study supported the findings of previous studies that have shown an association with particulate matter and the rates of death from all causes and from cardiovascular and respiratory causes.

Another study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, looked at the health impacts of particulate pollution specifically from power plants. This report estimated that the lives of over 30,000 Americans are cut short each year and that hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from cardiac and respiratory problems associated with fine particles from power plants. The results of the analysis are summarized in a report by the Clean Air Task Force called Death, Disease, and Dirty Power (www.cleartheair.org).

____________________________
¹New England Journal of Medicine 2000; 343:1742-9

What Is That Smell?

by Linda Block

A new chapter of Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA) has formed in southeast Houston. The group will help concerned neighbors find answers to their questions regarding local pollution sources and learn about possible links to health effects. Other existing chapters of Mothers for Clean Air are located in Houston's Fifth Ward, Barrett Station, and Woodland Acres.

Like these other chapter locations, southeast Houston was chosen because of the abundance of pollution sources that exist close to residential areas and schools. Within close proximity are the industrial sites of Goodyear, Exxon-Mobil, Texas Petrochemical, Valero, Rhodia, and Lyondell-Citgo. When combined, these companies release millions of pounds of toxins into the air each year.

Located south of the Houston Ship Channel, the southeast Houston neighborhoods are also surrounded by the noise and exhaust from Interstate 45, the South 610 Loop, Texas 225 and the railroad. The rumble and risk from chemical-toting trucks and railroad cars persist daily. The potential exists for a train to block the evacuation route for thousands of school children and residents in the event of an industrial emergency. Hobby Airport is only two miles away and the Geneva Industry's superfund site (a toxic area identified by the U.S. government) sits awaiting many more years of clean-up and monitoring.

Southeast Houston was also chosen because of Environmental Justice issues. Much of the local population is Latino. Historically, research has shown that in the United States, people of color suffer disproportionately from the burdens of toxic waste. The first steps toward reversing such inequitable trends are to raise awareness about local pollution sources and build skills to address issues of concern. The southeast community is no exception.

Funded by the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation and the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice, the new MfCA chapter will hold regular community meetings to allow those interested to share concerns about their air and to begin to find solutions.

Air Quality Basics

Electric Power Plants

Although we often think of electricity as being clean (electric cars, electric lawn mowers, electric heat) the source of electricity generation can be very dirty. Power plants generate electricity by burning various types of fuels. In the U.S., most electricity is produced from coal (54%), followed by nuclear (21%), hydropower (11%) and natural gas (9%). Power plants emit many pollutants including several that are measured by the U.S. EPA: sulfur dioxide (ingredient in acid rain), nitrogen oxides (component of ozone), particulate matter (smog component), and carbon dioxide (cause of global warming).

Coal-fired units produce more than their share of pollution, accounting for 96% of sulfur dioxide emissions, 93% of nitrogen oxides, and 88% of carbon dioxide emissions from the electric industry. Most of the coal-fired units in the U.S. were built before the Clean Air Act of 1970 and fall under the grandfather loophole, exempting them from strict new emission standards. Consequently, grandfathered power plants emit four to ten times the pollution of cleaner, modern power plants.

In the Houston-Galveston (H-G) area, power plants are the largest industrial source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) (29.4% of total point sources), the class of pollutants under attack by the State Implementation Plan. (See related article on page 1.) Although there are only 9 boiler power plants in the eight county area and hundreds of other industrial facilities, the 9 power plants alone produce 196 of the 668 tons of total NOx emissions per day from industry. More than half of the 196 tons come from four coal-burning units at the W. A. Parrish power plant in Sugarland, ranking it as the twenty- eighth worst power plant in the country for NOx emissions.¹ The Parrish power plant produces approximately one-third of the electricity for the H-G area. Ironically, there are no air monitors in Fort Bend County where W. A. Parrish is located.

In 1999, Texas legislation for the deregulation of power plants was accompanied by rulings to eliminate grandfathered power plants. Older power plants will be required to reduce NOx emissions to 50% and sulfur dioxide emissions by 75% of 1997 levels by the year 2003. In addition, under the State Implementation Plan (page 1) industries, including grandfathered power plants, must reduce NOx emissions by 90% by 2007. Electric utilities now must either retrofit or replace old electric generating units to achieve the required reductions.

Cleaning up grandfathered and coal-fired power plants and using renewable and less polluting sources of energy is necessary to reduce the health effects of power plant emissions. NOx emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, a nagging problem in the H-G area and one that aggravates allergies and asthma and causes respiratory problems, especially among the young, the elderly and those who exercise outdoors. Particulate matter is another power plant pollutant of concern in the H-G area. A recent report by the Clean Air Task Force estimated that 201 people in Houston die prematurely each year due to fine particle pollution from electric power plants.² (See related article on page 2.)

____________________________
¹ Lethal Legacy, U.S. PIRG, April 2000
www.pirg.org/reports/enviro/lethal/index.html ² Death, Disease and Dirty Power, Clean Air Task Force, 2000 www.cleartheair.org

Urban Sprawl Video

The Houston Sierra Club, Gulf Coast Institute, and Mothers for Clean Air will show a video about urban sprawl, Subdivide and Conquer, on Friday, February 9 at the Houston Environmental Center, 3015 Richmond. This 1999 video tells how the American west is being conquered by sprawl. Individualists who had hoped for wide open spaces in the suburbs, instead find themselves with no choice but to be confined to their cars commuting.

The video will show from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. and a moderated discussion will follow. Come early for refreshments and conversation beginning at 6:15 PM. The event is free. For more information call Peter Tyler, 713-256-9205 or P_Tyler@swbell.net.

Power Plant Tour February 24

Put on a hard hat and wear your walking shoes. Join Mothers for Clean Air on Saturday, February 24 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM for a tour of the W. A. Parrish power plant in Sugarland, Reliant Energy's only power plant with coal-fired units. Learn how electricity is generated and how Reliant will reduce its nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 88%. Bring the family because children are welcome when accompanied by adults. No need to bring your own hard hat; they will be provided. But do wear closed toe shoes. Call 713-526-0110 for directions and car pooling information.

Copyright © 1998-2002, Mothers for Clean Air. All Rights Reserved. 3100 Richmond, Suite 309 Houston, TX 77098
Phone:	(713) 526-0110
Fax:	(713) 526-0550
E-mail:	mfca@hern.org
Last update: July 10, 2002


About MfCA - Newsletters - Press - Air Quality Information - Events Calendar - Join MfCA
Clearing the Air A Publication of Mothers for Clean Air Winter 2001 Volume 4, Issue 1 Houston Number One, Again For the second year in a row, the Houston-Galveston area recorded the most ground-level ozone exceedance days and the highest ozone reading in the United States. An ozone exceedance day occurs when any one of the 25 air monitors in the eight county area (Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery, Waller) measures ground-level ozone concentrations greater than the federal health standard (120 parts per billion). During the 2000 ozone season (March through November), the Houston area had 44 days when ozone readings were above the health limit set by the Environmental Protection Agency. This number was 4 days more than Los Angeles' 40. Additionally, the City of Houston also recorded an ozone concentration of 225 parts per billion (ppb) at its northeast monitor - the highest ozone concentration in the country for the year. The year 2000 was almost a repeat of 1999, the first year Houston's ozone problem became worse than Los Angeles'. Houston Clean Air Plan Inadequate Since May 1997, the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission (TNRCC) has been working on a new plan to clean up the air in Houston. Curiously, on December 6 the TNRCC finalized a State Implementation Plan (SIP) to be sent to the EPA that currently falls short of that goal. Fifty tons per day of NOx reductions are still needed for the Houston-Galveston area to meet the clean air standard for ozone by 2007. Some unpopular pollution reductions such as a 55-mph speed limit and a ban on morning use of diesel construction equipment remained in the plan, but other measures such as low sulfur gasoline and cleaner-burning diesel were eliminated. Fortunately, the TNRCC remained firm on a 90% cut in industrial sources of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions - one of the pollutants that forms ozone. Included with the SIP was a list of strategies that could amount to the needed reductions when the technology becomes available. (See http://www.tnrcc.state.tx.us/oprd/hgasip.html for a complete list of measures.) EPA received the plan in December and TNRCC expects to submit revisions to cover the final 50 tons by July 2001. EPA is expected to approve the plan by the end of 2002. At that time, the public will have 30 days to comment on the approved plan. Dirty Diesel to be Cleaned Have you ever wondered why you must have pollution control equipment and regular inspections on your car when diesel trucks and buses belch out thick black smoke? A new rule announced by the U.S. EPA will soon put an end to that disparity. Limits on sulfur levels in diesel fuel will reduce particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions by more than 90%. High sulfur levels have prevented use of pollution control equipment in diesel engines. With reduced sulfur in diesel fuels, existing technology for cleaner burning diesel trucks and buses will be phased in over the next seven years. Particulate Air Pollution Causes Deaths Two recent studies examined the health effects of breathing particulate matter released from diesel engines and power plants. (See related article on page 3). Particulate matter is made up of tiny pieces of soot that are small enough to be inhaled into the lungs. A study conducted at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health found a link between particulate pollution and death rates in 20 large cities, including Houston.¹ This study supported the findings of previous studies that have shown an association with particulate matter and the rates of death from all causes and from cardiovascular and respiratory causes. Another study commissioned by the Clean Air Task Force, looked at the health impacts of particulate pollution specifically from power plants. This report estimated that the lives of over 30,000 Americans are cut short each year and that hundreds of thousands of Americans suffer from cardiac and respiratory problems associated with fine particles from power plants. The results of the analysis are summarized in a report by the Clean Air Task Force called Death, Disease, and Dirty Power (www.cleartheair.org). ____________________________ ¹New England Journal of Medicine 2000; 343:1742-9 What Is That Smell? by Linda Block A new chapter of Mothers for Clean Air (MfCA) has formed in southeast Houston. The group will help concerned neighbors find answers to their questions regarding local pollution sources and learn about possible links to health effects. Other existing chapters of Mothers for Clean Air are located in Houston's Fifth Ward, Barrett Station, and Woodland Acres. Like these other chapter locations, southeast Houston was chosen because of the abundance of pollution sources that exist close to residential areas and schools. Within close proximity are the industrial sites of Goodyear, Exxon-Mobil, Texas Petrochemical, Valero, Rhodia, and Lyondell-Citgo. When combined, these companies release millions of pounds of toxins into the air each year. Located south of the Houston Ship Channel, the southeast Houston neighborhoods are also surrounded by the noise and exhaust from Interstate 45, the South 610 Loop, Texas 225 and the railroad. The rumble and risk from chemical-toting trucks and railroad cars persist daily. The potential exists for a train to block the evacuation route for thousands of school children and residents in the event of an industrial emergency. Hobby Airport is only two miles away and the Geneva Industry's superfund site (a toxic area identified by the U.S. government) sits awaiting many more years of clean-up and monitoring. Southeast Houston was also chosen because of Environmental Justice issues. Much of the local population is Latino. Historically, research has shown that in the United States, people of color suffer disproportionately from the burdens of toxic waste. The first steps toward reversing such inequitable trends are to raise awareness about local pollution sources and build skills to address issues of concern. The southeast community is no exception. Funded by the North American Fund for Environmental Cooperation and the EPA's Office of Environmental Justice, the new MfCA chapter will hold regular community meetings to allow those interested to share concerns about their air and to begin to find solutions. Air Quality Basics Electric Power Plants Although we often think of electricity as being clean (electric cars, electric lawn mowers, electric heat) the source of electricity generation can be very dirty. Power plants generate electricity by burning various types of fuels. In the U.S., most electricity is produced from coal (54%), followed by nuclear (21%), hydropower (11%) and natural gas (9%). Power plants emit many pollutants including several that are measured by the U.S. EPA: sulfur dioxide (ingredient in acid rain), nitrogen oxides (component of ozone), particulate matter (smog component), and carbon dioxide (cause of global warming). Coal-fired units produce more than their share of pollution, accounting for 96% of sulfur dioxide emissions, 93% of nitrogen oxides, and 88% of carbon dioxide emissions from the electric industry. Most of the coal-fired units in the U.S. were built before the Clean Air Act of 1970 and fall under the grandfather loophole, exempting them from strict new emission standards. Consequently, grandfathered power plants emit four to ten times the pollution of cleaner, modern power plants. In the Houston-Galveston (H-G) area, power plants are the largest industrial source of nitrogen oxides (NOx) (29.4% of total point sources), the class of pollutants under attack by the State Implementation Plan. (See related article on page 1.) Although there are only 9 boiler power plants in the eight county area and hundreds of other industrial facilities, the 9 power plants alone produce 196 of the 668 tons of total NOx emissions per day from industry. More than half of the 196 tons come from four coal-burning units at the W. A. Parrish power plant in Sugarland, ranking it as the twenty- eighth worst power plant in the country for NOx emissions.¹ The Parrish power plant produces approximately one-third of the electricity for the H-G area. Ironically, there are no air monitors in Fort Bend County where W. A. Parrish is located. In 1999, Texas legislation for the deregulation of power plants was accompanied by rulings to eliminate grandfathered power plants. Older power plants will be required to reduce NOx emissions to 50% and sulfur dioxide emissions by 75% of 1997 levels by the year 2003. In addition, under the State Implementation Plan (page 1) industries, including grandfathered power plants, must reduce NOx emissions by 90% by 2007. Electric utilities now must either retrofit or replace old electric generating units to achieve the required reductions. Cleaning up grandfathered and coal-fired power plants and using renewable and less polluting sources of energy is necessary to reduce the health effects of power plant emissions. NOx emissions contribute to the formation of ground-level ozone, a nagging problem in the H-G area and one that aggravates allergies and asthma and causes respiratory problems, especially among the young, the elderly and those who exercise outdoors. Particulate matter is another power plant pollutant of concern in the H-G area. A recent report by the Clean Air Task Force estimated that 201 people in Houston die prematurely each year due to fine particle pollution from electric power plants.² (See related article on page 2.) ____________________________ ¹ Lethal Legacy, U.S. PIRG, April 2000 www.pirg.org/reports/enviro/lethal/index.html ² Death, Disease and Dirty Power, Clean Air Task Force, 2000 www.cleartheair.org Urban Sprawl Video The Houston Sierra Club, Gulf Coast Institute, and Mothers for Clean Air will show a video about urban sprawl, Subdivide and Conquer, on Friday, February 9 at the Houston Environmental Center, 3015 Richmond. This 1999 video tells how the American west is being conquered by sprawl. Individualists who had hoped for wide open spaces in the suburbs, instead find themselves with no choice but to be confined to their cars commuting. The video will show from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. and a moderated discussion will follow. Come early for refreshments and conversation beginning at 6:15 PM. The event is free. For more information call Peter Tyler, 713-256-9205 or P_Tyler@swbell.net. Power Plant Tour February 24 Put on a hard hat and wear your walking shoes. Join Mothers for Clean Air on Saturday, February 24 from 2:00 - 4:00 PM for a tour of the W. A. Parrish power plant in Sugarland, Reliant Energy's only power plant with coal-fired units. Learn how electricity is generated and how Reliant will reduce its nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions by 88%. Bring the family because children are welcome when accompanied by adults. No need to bring your own hard hat; they will be provided. But do wear closed toe shoes. Call 713-526-0110 for directions and car pooling information.
Donate Now - Home - Search the Site