When Fake Billionaire Populists Collide

 

…the results aredepressing and hilariousat the same time. 

"Last month, for example, Rep. Joe Pitts (R-Pa.) withdrew his co-sponsorship of the measure after “I heard,” he said, that “T. Boone Pickens tends to stand to make a lot of money on it.” Pitts said, “I don’t want to be accused of, you know, doing some sweetheart deal for somebody.” So, he said “I decided I better get off.”

Six days later, Pitts accepted a $1,000 check from Koch PAC — part of a total of $14,000 that the PAC gave six House Republicans in the weeks after they pulled their co-sponsorships of the bill."

Warning: Air Quality Problems May Appear Smaller Than They Actually Are

Turns out that TCEQ is color-blind as well.

Some of you may subscribe to the Commission’s  DFW ozone alert e-mail list.

You may think those “Orange Alerts” you’ve been getting every so often since Spring are an indication of what days represent breathing health threats. You would be wrong.

When you get an orange alert, it means one or more monitors in DFW is registering an ozone level of between 75 and 96 parts per billion (ppb). This level of smog pollution is officially classified by TCEQ as air “unhealthy for sensitive groups.” You actually have to have a smog problem above 95 ppb to just be plain “unhealthy” air at TCEQ.

But TCEQ’s entire alert system is based on an out-dated understanding of what levels of smog do damage to public health.

Three years ago, the Bush Administration EPA recommended a new federal ozone level of between 60 and 70 ppb concluding that the old 85 ppb standard was no longer protective of public health. So when TCEQ is telling you the air outside represents only a threat to “sensitive groups,” it’s really a danger to all of us. And that danger goes down to 70 or even 60 ppb.

NPR had a report on the new standard and the antiquity of similar “air quality alerts” across the country.

The difference in the number of days that there are “unhealthy” levels of smog in DFW is significant depending on where you’re starting point is.

Since April, there have been 12 “orange” days in DFW according to the TCEQ database on line here (75 to 95 ppb at one or more monitors). During that same time there were 32 “yellow days” (60 to 74 ppb at one or more monitors) including nine that saw levels at 70 to 74 ppb.

So instead of 12 days of air this summer that have been “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” there have actually been 44 days of air that would be considered potentially unhealthy for everyone by EPA scientists. The problem of bad air grows almost 400%.

When things are orange at TCEQ, they should really be red. At least, you know, according to the scientists who study this stuff for a living.

However out of whack this system is regarding public health and current science, it’s in perfect alignment with the TCEQ’s and Governor Perry’s ideological view that smog isn’t much of threat to human health. For years, the agency has argued that ozone is a “benign pollutant” and doesn’t deserve all the regulatory attention it’s gotten from EPA.

Let’s all watch and see how long it takes for TCEQ to adapt its color-coded ozone alert system to the reality of a new EPA ozone standard scheduled to be announced in early August now. Office pool starts now. Here are the odds as of today:

Change when EPA proposed new standard is announced –  1000 to 1 Against
Change when EPA adopts final rules – 100 to 1 Against
Change when EPA requires new DFW clean air plan for the new std. – 50 to 1 Against
Change when Rick Perry leaves office – 2 to 1 For  

EPA Mounts Texas Offensive Defending Transport Rule

Just the other day, we were wondering if the Obama Administration could withstand industry lobbying on its third try to announce a new federal ozone standard that will make all the usual suspects cry out that the sky is falling. We have another 20 days or so to see out that decision turns out.

But there’s no question the Obama EPA is standing behind its proposed interstate air pollution transport rule, a re-working of a George W. Bush scheme to reduce pollution crossing state lines, despite all the whining by Rick Perry, TCEQ, ERCOT, the Dallas Chamber of Commerce and whoever else Luminant could get to pile-on that the EPA was just picking on Texas again.

This last week saw the EPA pushing back with specific opinion pieces in the major dailies, and a timely swing through the state by EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.

It’s behind the DMN paywall, but Gina McCarthy, Assistant Administrator of the Agency’s Office of Air and Radiation writes that,

“Despite claims to the contrary, this rule is based on sound scientific and economic analysis and will benefit the people and businesses of Texas.

This rule will also help Texas be a good neighbor by preventing pollution before it can become a problem for other states — and unfairly deprive their people of the health benefits associated with breathing clean air. As a matter of fact, fine-particle pollution from Texas power plants travels far and wide, significantly affecting air quality for millions of Americans in 11 states. In turn, pollution reductions taken in other states and Texas will benefit Texas families, preventing an estimated 670 to 1,700 premature deaths per year starting in 2014.

In other words, Texas is not being “singled out” by the EPA, as some have claimed. Texas and its sources of pollution are being held to the same standards as other states.”

(Funny story about Ms. McCarthy and Texas. During the 10-month wait in 2009 for a new Region 6 EPA Administrator to be appointed by the Obama Administration, long-time General Counsel Larry Starfield became Acting Regional Administrator, has he has been before when waiting for a new President to appoint a replacement. Nothing new there. Except that Texas and EPA were already at odds over the legality of the state’s “flex permits.” Instead of allowing Starfleld to act as the Agency’s negotiatoir, TCEQ Chairman Byran Shaw insisted that senior EPA officials from DC be at the table – no substitutions allowed -even though Starfield had the most experience with the program. Consequently, to satisfy Chairman Shaw’s pique, McCarthy traveled down to Texas over and over again during that first year, until Dr. Armendariz was eventually appointed as Regional Administrator and took over the reins. Ms. McCarthy knows the TCEQ very well. )

At the same time, Administrator Jackson was in Austin at a conference on green energy when she was asked about all the moaning and groaning by state officials on behalf of EFH and Luminant, the companies that have the dirtiest coal-fired power plants in Texas, and therefore the most cleaning-up to do. She had this to say:

“Well, three points. I’m happy to talk to ERCOT and we’re going to reach out to them to understand their concerns. But three things. Remember, the cross-state pollution rule is really the next generation of CAIR, which was proposed under Bush administration. Texas is a part of it. There is no surprise here for facilities. Don’t forget the extraordinary public health benefits. We’re talking about between 670 and [number unclear on tape] lives each year starting in 2014. That’s Texans. And that equates to billions, between $5 and $14 billion in health costs. Last but not least, this is not an onerous rule. Our modeling shows that over 50 percent of the pollution, the particle pollution, the soot that we’re worried about, comes from three plants. This is technology that’s out there that other plants have. Actually much of Texas’s generation is quite clean, and so our model shows this can be done cheaply and efficiently.”

Let’s take this opportunity to remind everyone that at the same time that Governor Perry and Bryan Shaw are criticizing EPA for it “heavy-handedness,” with this transport rule and other issues, the two are using the EPA’s own tougher emissions standards for cars as the basis for the proposed DFW smog plan. TCEQ’s strategy, and we’re not making this up, is to watch as everyone buys new cars with these higher emission standards and hope that smog levels go down.

When the new EPA transport rules take effect, there will be less ozone-forming pollution making its way from East and Central Texas coal-fired power plants into the DFW Metromess. This probably means there will be less ozone in general (although you never know with the rise of gas drilling in North Texas). And that probably means lower ozone levels sometime around 2014. If the levels do dip, we’re pretty sure that state officials will find a way to take credit for it, even as they accuse the EPA of destroying Texas’ economy.

Pollutants Linked to Neural Tube Birth Defects at Center of 90’s Midlothian Controversy

 

Babies who were exposed to certain organic pollutants in the womb are at a highly increased risk of neural tube defects leading to conditions such as spina bifida, according to researchers in China.

Neural tube defects, in which the spinal cord, the brain or their coverings fail to develop completely, arise very early in pregnancy and affect more than 320,000 infants worldwide every year. They can lead not just to spina bifida, in which the spinal covering does not close completely, but also to severe cranial abnormalities such as anencephaly, which often leads to stillbirth, and other conditions."

Orange Monday

At least that’s the forecast from TCEQ today.  We’re already at a 90 ppb “design value” after being at 85 ppb last year. This year’s current high number was set in early July. The odds are pretty good that DFW will have more violations at least through August-September. The only question is how high will this year’s number go? This is the kind of “progress” you get when the agency put in charge of cleaning up your air doesn’t really think dirty air is a problem.

Roll the Tape: Scenes from the Perry Bean Cook-Off and TCEQ Smog Hearing

Thanks to an entity named Jimzshow over at YouTube, you can see video highlights of last Thursday’s Rick Perry Bean Cook-Off and TCEQ Smog Hearing, including:

The Calvin and Tim Show before the hearing.

Downwinders’ own Jim Schermbeck making the case that the plan has already failed, even before it’s finalized.

Arlington Environmental Institution Julia Bergen doing the Talking Smog History Blues.

Arlington resident, gas activist and Ben Zine friend Kim Feil.

St. Jo Resident Joe Dial’s letter to Governor Perry and the TCEQ Commissioners.

Texas Campaign for the Environment’s Jeff Jacoby, complete with Rick Perry Mask prop.

..and more. Check it out.

Did You Know the Tea Party Targeted Us Yesterday? Neither Did We

But according to this website info, the NW Tarrant Tea Party Folks were asked to come over and counter the “misinformation” about gas drilling by the astroturf group CLEAN Resources (Citizens for Lasting Energy and Affordable Natural) Resources. This accounts for at least two or three of the 10 am hearing speakers and maybe one at the evening session. Pretty weak tea actually.

“New Report Reveals Toxic Air Near Natural Gas Operations”

As Sharon says, however, this refers to Colorado and New Mexico, and not Ft. Worth, which missed its own deadline to release its massive study of gas air pollution Wednesday in favor of a roll-out Thursday Noon. When it does go up, it should be accessible by way of this website.

The Colo. and NM study contains sampling done by citizens groups at various sites which found:

“…a total of 22 toxic chemicals in the air samples, including four known carcinogens, as well as toxins known to damage the nervous system and respiratory irritants. The chemicals detected ranged from 3 to 3,000 times higher than what is considered safe by state and federal agencies. Sampling was conducted in the San Juan Basin area of Colorado and New Mexico, as well as Garfield

County in western Colorado.”

As you might have guessed by now, the toxins they found were Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) like the ones that the TCEQ decided not to reduce in the proposed smog plan up for a public hearing Thursday night. Yet another reason to come and tell the state it must do more to clean the air, including reducing gas industry VOCs, which are the largest single source of the pollution in the 9-county “non-attainment” area for smog pollution.

Happy Clean Air Action Day! DFW’s Air Quality Just Got Officially Worse

Yesterday, the Keller ozone monitor recorded an 8-hour average of 90ppb. It became the monitor’s fourth-highest reading for the summer, and thus, its “design value” in TCEQ jargon – the reading that sticks and becomes the measuring stick for progress toward getting below the 1997 federal standard of 85 ppb. And we’re not doing so well right now.

Keller’s design value on Tuesday was in the high 70’s. On Wednesday it was 85ppb. On Thursday it was 90ppb. It’s been a good week for bad air in DFW.

As fate would have it, this new and bad design value, (the first in the 90’s range since 2009), occurred on “Clean Air Action Day,” the official local government and business-sponsored effort to encourage car pooling, biking and such during ozone season (raising hell with local governments and businesses to clean the air never seems to make their list). Despite “companies doing their share for cleaner air” DFW busted the 85ppb standard sooner than we have in years.

Seems like only yesterday officialdom was declaring that “July isn’t a traditional high ozone month.” Someone forgot to tell July.

A higher design value for 2011 makes it less likely that even a good showing in 2012 can save us from the three year average over 85ppb that will signal the failure of the TCEQ “do-over” SIP and the need for a third try.

2010’s design value was 85ppb. Even if 2012 saw a design value of 84ppb – something that has never happened – this year’s 90 ppb gives you a three-year average of 86.3. That’s just about back where we started when this air plan process began, and still in “non-attainment” with the Clean Air Act. We’re not “really close” to getting below 85ppb anymore, we getting further away.

The TCEQ isn’t predicting a high ozone day for Friday, despite a weather forecast containing many of the elements that would make it one. We could use a breather.

Update:
Oops. TCEQ is now predicting a high ozone day today. So take an oxygen tank with you when you go out and hope the design value doesn’t go up to 95ppb.

Is This the Day DFW Fails the 85 ppb Ozone Standard…Again? Yes it Was.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Yesterday, Keller recorded a 90ppb ozone reading, a violation of the 1997 85 ppb federal standard. That makes the July 5th high of 85 ppb recorded at Keller the fourth highest number for that site this year, and thus, Keller becomes the first DFW ozone monitoring site to record the 2011 official failure to reach the old standard. And there you have it, a nicely-wrapped present for the business-sponsored Clean Air Action Day! that occurring even as we speak today.

Is This the Day DFW Fails the 85 ppb Ozone Standard…Again? Update x1

According to TCEQ’s ozone forecast, DFW is going to be having another bad air day today. Light winds out of the south-southeast, high temperatures, and a state agency intent on not going out of its way to achieve better air quality might all conspire to bring another wave of monitor “exceedences.” If one of those exceedences occurs at the Denton Airport monitor, then DFW will have not met the 1997 obsolete 85 ppb ozone standard once again.