Harvey led to a man-made disaster
As the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Harvey approaches, millions of Texans will reflect on what was the second-costliest U.S. natural disaster in history, after 2005’s Hurricane Katrina. While acts of individual and collective heroism defined the days around the storm, what happens over the ensuing months and years will determine the scope of the next major storm’s impact. With more intense storms and greater unpredictability forecast along the Texas coast due to climate change, one thing is for certain: There will be a next time.
Hurricane Harvey was much more than a historic flooding event. The aftermath was a man-made environmental disaster. We know this because of industry’s own reports to the state, which included 8.3 million pounds of unpermitted air pollution and more than 150 million gallons of spilled wastewater, as detailed in The Environmental Integrity Project’s new report, “Preparing for the Next Storm.”
It’s critical that we learn from Harvey’s environmental disasters and limit future storm-related pollution, especially when it comes to protecting vulnerable communities often located adjacent to refining and petrochemical hubs. For starters, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality should take a more active role in planning the shutdowns of major industrial facilities during hurricanes and other disasters, as well as the subsequent restarting of these plants, in order to protect the health and safety of nearby residents.
In the Houston region, industrial plants waited more than three days after Gov. Greg Abbott declared a “State of Disaster” last Aug. 23 shutting down to prevent pollution releases. Many facilities only took action after the heavy rains began falling, which triggered flooding-related mishaps and the release of toxic chemicals like benzene, a carcinogen. In the 48 hours after the heavy rainfall started in the Houston area, a total of 23 incidents involving the release of unauthorized air pollution were reported to the state — often due to flooding or power outages —releasing some 2.2 million pounds of pollution.
The Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Inspector General recently launched an investigation of the EPA and Texas’ responses to air pollution releases during the storm. This is a promising development, but the state need not wait for the outcome of this federal investigation to take action.
The air quality impacts from pollution released during and after Hurricane Harvey are not fully known because 75 percent of the region’s regulatory air-monitoring stations were shut down. While there may be good reason to shutter some expensive equipment to protect it from damage, the state also has an obligation to more consistently monitor and protect public health during and after a disaster.
The state should also ensure that during future storms industrial facilities file accurate and timely reports of accidents and emissions, which didn’t always happen during Hurricane Harvey. The result was the public was often left guessing whether air was safe to breathe.
A similar problem of public accountability exists for wastewater monitoring. Sewage plants and industries in coastal Texas reported more than 150 million gallons of spilled wastewater because of the storm. But that figure represents significant underreporting, because at least 24 percent of facilities that reported overflows entered “zero” as the quantity of their pollution — even though the text of their reports often suggest large amounts of wastewater were released.
When it comes to air and water pollution, timely and transparent reporting is necessary to understand the risks and public health impacts of pollution.
Finally, refineries and petrochemical plants need to invest more in the best available pollution controls. This includes making industrial storage tanks safer and more resilient — especially those with floating roof tanks. At least 15 floating roofs on storage tanks failed during the storm, releasing more than 3.1 million pounds of air and water pollution.
The state of Texas and industry need to better protect workers and neighboring communities from the risks associated with locating massive chemical complexes in lowlying, densely populated coastal areas, such as those along the Houston Ship Channel.