Clean Air In the News
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State environmental commission grows sharper teeth
- Austin American-Statesman (new window)
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8/5/2006 |
| Trying to respond to years-old criticism that it is soft on enforcement, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality announced this week that it had decided to crack down on unpaid fees and penalties. | |
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The brouhaha over benzene
- The Baytown Sun (new window)
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4/8/2007 |
| “Pollution from refineries and power plants are making our families sick. We are counting on the TCEQ to hold polluters accountable,” said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, a coalition of state environmental groups. “It’s appalling that regulators are letting polluters off the hook for millions of dollars that could be put to work cleaning up our air.” | |
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TXU to spend $10 billion on new Texas generation
- Reuters (new window)
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4/20/2006 |
| Power generator TXU Corp. said on Thursday it would spend $10 billion to build 11 new coal power plants in Texas in a bid to capitalize on wide margins the plants earn in the state's deregulated power market. | |
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The House Comedy on Environmental Deregulation
- The Texas Observer Blog (new window)
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4/11/2007 |
| When Luke Metzger of Environment Texas pointed to a letter written by Houston Mayor Bill White and former Harris County Judge Robert Eckels listing dozens of untried startegies, Bonnen acerbicly retorted “I’m glad to know they’re experts now.” | |
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Senate bill aimed at reducing ozone pollution
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (new window)
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2/19/2007 |
| On Thursday, state Sen. Kip Averitt, R-Waco filed Senate Bill 12, a measure that would pump millions of dollars into two programs designed to reduce pollution including auto emissions and ultimately help bring the Metroplex into compliance with federal ozone standards. We need to get some of the dirtiest cars and trucks off Texas roads, and it's time the Legislature appropriate the money that was intended for just that purpose," said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, an Austin advocacy group. | |
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Local Lawmaker Files Bill To Ramp Up Emissions-Reducing Efforts
- KWTX CBS Waco (new window)
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2/16/2007 |
| Sen. Kip Averitt, R-McGregor, filed a bill Thursday that would amp up efforts to reduce emissions in Texas. "Today is a good day for the breathers of Texas," said Luke Metzger, Texas director of environmental watchdog group Environment Texas. "Air pollution has been making Texas families sick for too long and SB 12 is a critical step to making our air safe to breathe again." | |
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California Tailpipe Rules Could Cruise Into Texas
- Austin Chronicle (new window)
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12/7/2006 |
| State Sen. Rodney Ellis filed legislation last Thursday that would bring Texas' vehicle emissions standards up to par with 11 other states, led by California, which has passed tailpipe measures stronger than those prescribed by the federal government. Environment Texas advocate Luke Metzger pointed to a 2002 poll showing 79% statewide support for such legislation – with 54% strongly supporting. | |
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Emissions legislation would tighten standards
- El Paso Times (new window)
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12/4/2006 |
| Air pollution is a constant concern for El Paso, so it's good to see that the next session of the Texas Legislature will consider a measure that would tighten vehicle emissions standards... according to Luke Metzger of Environment Texas, over the years owners of vehicles with stricter emissions controls would actually save money at the gas pump. | |
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Texas considers California emissions standards
- News 8 Austin (new window)
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12/19/2006 |
| Sen. Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, wants Texas to adopt California's emission standards, which are tougher than the federal standards now in place in Texas. Luke Metzger with Environment Texas said the changes would be good for clean air. "More than half of Texans live in places where, literally, the air is unsafe to breathe certain times of the year," he said. | |
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Business lobby says coal essential
- San Antonio Express-News (new window)
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12/16/2006 |
| Luke Metzger, a spokesman for Environment Texas, an advocacy group that opposes the coal plant permits, said energy-efficiency initiatives hold more promise than the coal plants, which can not be made operational quickly enough to address the energy shortfall expected in 2008. | |
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Bill Filed for Cleaner Cars
- KUHF Houston Public Radio (new window)
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12/1/2006 |
| Texans might get more options for cleaner cars under a bill filed by Houston Senator Rodney Ellis. While lawmakers will have a say in passing the bill, a case before the U.S. Supreme Court will ultimately decide if the bill can become law. | |
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Need for coal plants at issue
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (new window)
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10/9/2006 |
| How should a fast-growing state secure power for the future? How should it clean up its air? What responsibility does it bear in combating global warming, and how expensive is too expensive? The plants proposed that afternoon in Dallas represent a crossroads for those questions, says Luke Metzger, an activist with Austin-based Environment Texas. | |
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Two environmental groups have banded together and filed a lawsuit against oil giant, Shell Oil Company in Deer Park.
- Pasadena Citizen (new window)
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1/9/2008 |
| The first-ever lawsuit filed by citizen groups in Texas aims to stop alleged illegal air emissions arising from so-called "upset" events at the plant. The Sierra Club and Environmental Texas filed the law suit in federal district court on Monday, against Shell Oil Company and their affiliates, and claims Shell has repeatedly violated the Clean Air Act at its Deer Park, Texas oil refinery and chemical plant, resulting in the release of alleged millions of pounds of excess air pollutants over the past five years. Some of those include toxic chemicals such as benzene and 1,3-butadiene. | |
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Clean the air
- Houston Chronicle
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1/9/2008 |
| According to its own reports to state regulators, the Shell Oil refinery complex in Deer Park has released millions of pounds of air pollutants over the past four years during so called "upsets" involving equipment breakdowns that occurred weekly. | |
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Environmentalists sue Shell Oil in Texas
- United Press International (new window)
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1/8/2008 |
| HOUSTON, Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Environmental groups have filed a lawsuit claiming that Shell Oil has released carcinogens into the air in the Houston area. At a news conference Monday, the Sierra Club and Environment Texas said the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have failed to hold Shell accountable, The Houston Chronicle reported. The groups said that the agencies have not enforced the Clean Air Act at Shell's refinery on the Houston Ship Channel. | |
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Pollution suit hits Shell
- San Antonio Express-News (new window)
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1/8/2008 |
| Two environmental groups filed a Clean Air Act lawsuit against Shell Oil Co. on Monday, signaling a new approach for fighting refinery pollution in Texas. The Sierra Club and Environment Texas employed a little-used method outlined in the Clean Air Act to sue Shell over pollution from its Deer Park refinery near Houston. | |
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Environmental groups file suit against Shell Oil
- Houston Business Journal (new window)
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1/8/2008 |
| Sierra Club and Environment Texas filed a lawsuit Monday in federal district court against Houston-based Shell Oil Co. and several affiliates alleging the company is violating federal air quality standards. The lawsuit is the first case in Texas in which citizen groups have tried to stop illegal air emissions arising from so-called "upset" events -- unpermitted releases of air pollutants. | |
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Texas: Environmental Advocates Sue Shell Oil
- The New York Times (new window)
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1/8/2008 |
| Environmental groups sued the Shell Oil Company and several of its affiliates, claiming that the oil giant has for years released pollutants from its suburban Houston refinery that are well above state and federal limits. In the federal lawsuit, the Sierra Club and Environment Texas claim that the excess air pollutants, including the toxic chemicals benzene and 1,3-butadiene, are a violation of the federal Clean Air Act. | |
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Groups sue over refinery pollution
- The Galveston County Daily News (new window)
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1/8/2008 |
| Two environmental groups filed a lawsuit Monday in a Houston federal court against Shell Oil Co., saying its Deer Park petrochemical plant repeatedly violated the Clean Air Act for at least five years. The lawsuit, which claims that preventable mechanical failures and equipment breakdowns caused illegal releases of toxic gases an average of once a week, highlights what environmentalists say is lax oversight on the part of state and federal governments and a “business-as-usual” attitude about air pollution at the Deer Park refinery. | |
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Shell sued over Deer Park refinery emissions
- The Houston Chronicle
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1/8/2008 |
| Environmental activists filed a federal lawsuit Monday against Shell Oil on behalf of citizens, saying state and federal environmental officials failed to enforce the Clean Air Act at the company's Deer Park plant. Environment Texas Citizen Lobby and the Sierra Club claim Shell and several of its subsidiaries have released millions of pounds of excess air pollutants along the Houston Ship Channel over the past five years, including benzene and other toxins that can cause cancer and respiratory problems. During a news conference, group leaders accused the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of not stopping the violations. | |
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Environmentalists Want To Slow Push For Coal
- KXAN-TV NBC Austin (new window)
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1/4/2007 |
| Legislators returning to Austin next week will be met with a growing controversy. A plan by TXU to build up to 19 new coal-burning power plants across the state continues to stir up debate. | |
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Gov wants more cash to cut air pollution
- San Antonio Express-News (new window)
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1/30/2007 |
| "More money for TERP is a key step towards clearing the air, and we thank the governor for his support," said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas. "Unfortunately, in the context of the governor's push for more dirty coal plants, it's one step forward and two steps backwards." | |
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Coal tops Legislature's environmental agenda
- Dallas Morning News (new window)
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1/16/2007 |
| Coal-burning power plants, smog and toxic pollution are pushing the environment high on the Legislature's agenda in 2007. Environmental lobbyists say a combination of electric companies' massive building plans and public health worries could bring changes in how Texas deals with energy and air quality. "I think we have great prospects," said Luke Metzger, legislative director of the Austin-based group Environment Texas. | |
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High ozone levels, unhealthy air expected today in DFW
- Fort Worth Star-Telegram (new window)
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05/29/2008 |
| Breathing easy might not be so easy Thursday. Because of projected high ozone levels, Thursday's air quality in Dallas-Fort Worth is expected to be unhealthy for sensitive groups, which consist mostly of children, older adults and people with respiratory problems. When air pollution gets high it can cause serious health problems, such as asthma attacks, said Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, an advocacy organization. | |
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