"Texas repeatedly raises pollution limits for Cheniere LNG plant"
The environmental regulator in Texas is currently being re-evaluated as part of a regular process to determine if it's effective. The state agency that did the review came up with the conclusion "no, it isn't."
From what I've read, the regulating agency is widely seen as a rubber stamp operation for the petrochemical industry. Part of the codified process involves issuing a draft pollution permit before public input is even sought. Very backward from almost every other state I've studied.
Also interesting, there have been dozens and dozens of articles about massive methane discharges all around the state from various pipelines. Until recently, it's been impossible to see methane dumps in near-real-time. But now that there are satellites that can see the plumes, they're being detected all the time. Rather than flush the methane out of a pipeline into storage before maintenance, the pipeline companies have been just venting it into the atmosphere.
Amazingly, even though the methane dumps coincide exactly with the pipeline maintenance schedules, and the satellites document the plumes, the pipeline companies maintain their stance of, "Oh, yeah? Prove it."
My observation over the last 20 years is that while Texas is slowly getting greener, as the process progresses and technology improves, we're learning just how dirty it was to start with.
"we're learning just how dirty it was" speaks from the calm policy podium, but is not sufficient in this case of environmental crime.
This is such a sloppy take, backed by no data. If anyone would spend 10 minutes analyzing GHG and other emissions they would find that BURNING / USING these products is what produces the most emissions. So 40 million+ tons per year easily (in the US) of JUST carbon monoxide. FAR worse globally. Billions of tons of CO2. And heads up, LNG is much CLEANER than many other fuels currently in use, particularly coal.
"We are defending our communities from being obliterated,” says John Serna, a resident of Portland, Gregory, and Ingleside.
Hardly - look at ukraine for what the word "obliterated" means.
More guberment? Feh! Just let The Market™ decide. /s
If one could summon @dang, the story link should be replaced with the reuters article.
The word "standards" should probably be replaced with "limits".
You need to speak a little louder and enunciated. Let me help
Oh DAAAAANNNNNNGGGGG. Sitkack needs some HEEEELLLLLPPPPP
You're welcome
For context, the facility liquefies 15 million tons of methane per year [1].
Also for context, the annual US VOC emissions in 2021 were 12 million tons [2].
353 tons is 0.003% of that.
[1] https://www.cheniere.com/where-we-work/ccl
[2] https://www.statista.com/statistics/501310/volume-of-volatil...
Salient quote:
Cheniere’s massive LNG plant, on the outskirts of the Gulf Coast city, has exceeded its permitted limits for emissions of pollutants such as soot, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) hundreds of times since it started up in 2018, according to a Reuters review of regulatory documents.
Instead of levying penalties for such violations, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has responded by granting Cheniere big increases in the plant’s pollution limits, the documents show. The facility is now allowed to chuff out some 353 tons per year of VOCs, double the limit set out in its original permit eight years ago. The state raised limits on four other pollutants by more than 40%.