Houston Air Enforcement Issues

John D. Wilson

Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention

www.ghasp.org

SOME Enforcement Problems

• Not enough enforcement staff

• Lousy data (regulate what exactly?)

• Cooling tower leak case study

• Flare destruction efficiency

• Not enough enforcement staff

Unreported VOC Emissions (TRI)

50

100

150

200

250

Texas Louisiana

Mill

ions

of

Po

unds

Unreportedair pollution

Reported airpollution

Unreported VOC Emissions (TRI)

79 million pounds102 plants

38 million pounds27 plants

25 million pounds28 plants

9 million pounds22 plants

25 50 75

Houston-Galveston-Brazoria

Beaumont-Port Arthur

Baton Rouge

Chicago-Gary-Lake County

Unreported VOC Emissions(TRI - Nationwide)

UnreportedVOCs

ReportedVOCs

Hydrochloric acid Methanol

Sulfuric acid

Ammonia

Other air toxics

Not Just Vapor: Cooling Towers

Cooling Tower EmissionsMeasured

Emission RateOK GF Leak

AllowedEvidence

Problems

Texas Petrochemicals, Houston 572,248 < 1 100 - -

Shell, Deer Park 515,000 < 1 - 74 26

ExxonMobil, Baytown 495,915 8 - 55 37

Enterprise Products, Mont Belvieu 373,096 2 - 98 -

Crown Central, Pasadena 264,264 2 - - 98

Chevron Phillips, Cedar Bayou 34,803 100 - - -

Union Carbide, Texas City 29,872 100 - - -

Valero Refining, Houston 14,742 20 48 - 32

ExxonMobil, Houston 6,321 100 - - -

Total 2,306,262 5 % 27 % 44 % 25 %

Underreported Flare Pollution

“Clean” Flare “Dirty” Flare

Houston Air Enforcement Issues

John D. Wilson

Galveston-Houston Association for Smog Prevention

www.ghasp.org