| Date |
Event |
Description |
Photo |
| December 1, 2011 |
Houston Receives Federal Funding for Light Rail |
The battle for a light rail in Houston began in 1983, when the rail plan was voted down by referendum. In 1988, a referendum vote approved a plan for a light rail, but the plan was canceled by Mayor Bob Lanier. Then in 1991, US Representative Tom Delay killed $65 million in federal funding that was going to the rail line. Houston drew up a rail plan using local funding. In 2001, multiple lawsuits arose by group attempting to stop construction. These groups argued that METRO was a private organization and therefore subject to city charter provisions regarding use of Houston streets. These delayed construction temporarily, however METRORail was able to open in 2004. Under the executive order of President Obama in 2011, Houston received a $900 million grant for rail expansions.Today, METRORail has the third highest ridership per track mile in the US. |
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| March 2013 |
EPA Orderslargest cities across the country to install roadside monitors for nitrogen dioxide |
Before this order, none of Houston's 29 monitoring stations were near a freeway. An article in August 2013 in the Houston Chronicle announced that the EPA is requiring the installation of 2 new monitors in Houston along freeways, and the TCEQ will begin monitoring them in January of 2014. This order was partially motivated by a new one-hour standard for nitrogen dioxide that was set on January 22, 2010. The standard was modified due to determinations on the affects nitrogen dioxide has on human health. |
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| October-November 2015 |
LyondellBasell Bayport Polymers maintenance events release large amounts of pollutants |
LyondellBasell Bayport Polymers facility in Pasadena,Texas reported planned maintenance events that would last for thirty-nine days during October and November. In the past TCEQ and the EPA have disagreed on the allowance and process of SSM events (start-up, shut-down, and maintenance). The company reported estimated a total of 71,750 lbs in emissions of various pollutants. Air Alliance Houston Executive Director Adrian Shelley wrote an article on this event, claiming that the facility has not authorized its SSM emissions as the EPA requires, yet the TCEQ was allowing it. |
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| 2001 |
TxDOT and TCEQ partner for Drive Clean Texas |
Drive Clean Texas is mainly an educational campaign to raise awareness and provide information. Through the program. Texans receive air quality messages, receive information on ozone formation and prevention, and are taught greener driving behaviors. The program also aims to educate children on air pollution sources and methods of prevention, as well as introduce them to the concept of alternative transportation. Drive Clean Texas was developed in partnership with the TxDOT and the Texas Commission on Environmental Air Quality, and it marks the first large sign of collaboration between the two state agencies on air quality issues. |
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| 2007 |
Drive Clean Texas receives the Clean Air Excellence Award for Best Education/ Outreach Campaign |
EPA awarded Drive Clean Texas the Clean Air Excellence Award for Best Education/ Outreach Campaign. Criteria for this award include that the entry directly or indirectly reduces emissions of criteria pollutants, hazardous air pollutants, and/or greenhouse gases, that it provides as a model for others to follow, the program increases public awareness about the importance of clean air, the program improves access to information on clean air issues, and the program reaches the intended or target audiences. |
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| 1976 |
Texas vs. EPA |
Texas challenged the EPA's power to determine the adequacy of its SIP and to promulgate additional regulations to be included in the state's plan. United States Court of Appeals ruled that EPA had properly exercised their descretion in the review of the Texas SIP, allowed the EPA to promulgate additional regulations for a state if the provisions of the state's plan were unsatisfactory |
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| October 1, 2015 |
News Article:New Ozone Standard will bring Public Health Benefits to Houston |
On this date, the EPA lowered the national ozone standard to 70 parts per billion from the previous standard of 75 parts per billion. Air Alliance Houston reports that this will bring health benefits to Houston. The article also mentions that under the less strict standard, Houston had already seen 38 days above the standard, when in 2014 only 14 high ozone days occurred. Industry opposes this new standard, but the EPA asserts that the public health benefits will far outweigh cost of implementation. |
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| September 29, 2015 |
EPA issues stricter standards for emissions of Refineries |
As a result of a lawsuit filed in 2012 by Air Alliance Houston, Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, and others, the EPA issued a final rule with additional emission control requirements for storage tanks, flares and coking units at petroleum refineries. Air Alliance Houston reported that this will lead to cleaner air for the communities residing near Houston's 5 oil refineries. The new rules will eliminate the prior loophole that allowed for SMS emissions, and put in place the first ever requirement to monitor air pollution at the fenceline of all U.S. refineries |
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