Posts by Downwinders At Risk
Be There: May 16th Dallas City Council Briefing on Gas Drilling
The Dallas City Council will be getting a briefing by members of the Dallas gas drilling task force about its controversial recommendations at the May 16th council briefing meeting. Things begin at 9am and take place in the Council Chambers on the 6th floor of City Hall. Besides getting a summary from Chair Lois Finkelman, each council member will be able to ask their task force appointee questions regarding the recommendations, so it could get interesting when Councilmember Davis decides to ask her task force appointee, Downwinders board member Cherelle Blazer, what she thinks. And will the Mayor have the gumption to ask his Parks Board Prez, Joan Walne why she voted to drill in city parkland? This is the first time gas drilling as been on the Council's agenda since the task froce was created last year. We know it's a work day, but if you can, you really need to make it downtown to be in the audience and show your support for a better drilling ordinance than the one being recommended by the task force, which rollbacked previously agreed-to protections at its very last meeting with any warning or public hearings. This is shaping up to be a very, very close vote. Your participation is critical in the most important environmental issue to face Dallas in the last 20 years.
Wise County in, Hood Left Out: EPA Declares New Non-Attainment Area for Smog in North Texas
At around closing time came news that the EPA had finalized the boundaries of the new “non-attainment area” for smog in North Texas that corresponds to enforcement of the “new” 75 ppb ozone standard approved last year. The 9 counties that were already in violation of the older standard are still there: Collin, Dallas, Denton, Ellis, Johnson, Kaufman, Parker, Rockwall, and Tarrant. The only new addition is Wise County, but it’s a huge one given its prodigious amount of gas industry pollution and commuter traffic to Tarrant and Denton Counties. It also means that Wise County will be getting an ozone monitor. If it’s placed correctly by TCEQ – and that’s a big if – it could be giving us a much truer understanding of how high or low ozone levels are really going. Since predominant winds during “ozone season” (April -November) are from the southeast to northwest, much of DFW’s dirty air gets pushed into Wise County, where it then officially falls off the map because there’s no air monitors there to record it. TCEQ likes it that way because ozone readings in Wise – where DFW dirty air meets gas patch emissions – could be significantly higher than in most of the rest of DFW. And that would dampen the Austin happy talk about improving DFW air quality. Also coming to Wise are things like those Vapor Recovery units on gasoline pumps, and other stricter pollution control requirements – although the impact on the entrenched gas industry infrastructure already there is unclear. Hood County was also singled out by EPA for inclusion in the non-attainment area but is left off this final order. It also has a number of gas industry facilities, including compressor stations, although most have shown up over the last ten years as opposed to Wise, which has seen decades of oil and gas production. There was no explanation for Hood exclusion in EPA’s letter. DFW wil be classified as a “Moderate” non-attainment area under the new standard while Houston will get a more severe “Marginal” classification. Why? Because the EPA uses a formula based on percentage above the new standard and Houston has traditionally had higher readings – think Ship Channel “upsets” and belches, even if DFW had just as many. Dallas and Houston remain Texas’ only non-attainmenta areas for smog, although that could certainly change over time. Next up is EPA’s determination of the compliance timeline for all non-attainment areas. The good news is that DFW’s deadline should be sooner than Houston’s because it’s not as severely ranked. The worse the air, the more time a region has to clean it up. The bad news is that it could still mean officials don’t have to get serious about cleaner air until around 2015 for a 2017-18 deadline. That”s been the pattern up to now – keep waiting until the last minute to think about how to dig yourself out of a multi-decade deep hole. And believe us, with this process, 2 years is “the last minute.” There could be all kinds of useful planning and researching going on right now but they’ll be none of that. Because insuring receipt of federal highway dollars, not protecting public health, has been the primary motivating factor behind the clean air machinery in North Texas. Until those priorities are reversed and clean air is sought for its own worth, we’re likely to always be behind the curve, chasing “unattainable” smog standards.
“Drilling in Dallas” Community Meeting: Northwest Dallas on Thursday Night
Dallas Residents at Risk’s road show on fracking in Dallas continues its tour with a stop at 7pm Thursday night, May 3rd, at the North Hills Prep School at 606 E Royal (near L.B. Houston Golf Course and the now famous drilling pad-in-a-park endorsed by none other than the President of the Dallas Parks and Rec Board). If you’ve seen the map of gas drilling leases on city owned land, you know that Northwest Dallas is a hotspot of activity. Along with West Dallas and Mountain Creek, it’s one of the most densely leased areas of the city. Come see a basic explanation for why the activity is hazardous to neighborhoods, talk to some of the good guys who were on the City’s gas drilling task force and find out what’s being done to write a better gas drilling ordinance. Information is power. Don’t be powerless.
1, 2, 3 Many Dr Als
What made it possible for someone like Dr. Armendariz to become a Regional Administrator? Years of experience as an environmental engineer? Check. Desire? Check. But also opportunity. Before Downwinders selected him to be our scientist to help enforce the Holcim Cement settlement, he’d never done work for a grassroots group in DFW. He was a blank slate. We were considering other, better-known, more traditionally citizen-friendly candidates in other parts of the country but two factors influenced us greatly. We wanted someone local who could respond quickly in case of an accident or “upset” at the Holcim plant. And we wanted to develop local scientific expertise. We wanted to grow our own. And boy did we. As if some dormant civic DNA had been activated, Dr. Al took to his new public policy-making role like a Polisci major. He outgrew us quickly and became the air pollution expert of choice for a wide variety of groups. All of that work led to him becoming a logical consensus choice for Regional Administrator among the Texas environmental community. And whatever role he assume now, he’ll be a formidable force for good for the foreseeable future. But that all begins with a grassroots group with a garage-sale-size budget taking the leap of faith on an unknown local SMU scientist with no history of environmental advocacy. We keep trying to develop and deploy local expertise as much as we can. Last year, we persuaded UTA Prof. Melanie Sattler to write the first report of its kind detailing how much more profit gas operators could make in the DFW area by installing off-the-shelf air pollution control equipment. What we and other grassroots groups need are more opportunities to be able to pay and cultivate this expertise. Only the fact that Holcim was covering Dr. Armendriz’s tab as part of the settlement agreement with Downwinders allowed us to hire him in the first place. We have to find ways to institutionalize this kind of intellectual agricultural locally. Groups have to seek local expertise out. Funding sources must allow for it in their grants. Not every story will turn out to be as dramatically successful as Dr. Armendariz’s, but we won’t be able to repeat his success unless we’re out there trying.
Lisa Jackson in Town to Rally the Troops
That’s the word according to at least one EPA Region 6 employee. No reports yet on what kind of pep talk she gave the staff after just witnessing the four-day public lynching of their former boss, but one wonders whether she might be handicapped by her tepid response. Despite internal assertions that she wanted Dr. Armendariz to stay, her public remarks were less than supportive. She’s no stranger to disappointments from this Administration – she was mugged by the OMB over the new ozone standard – but so soon after the events in question, it’s hard to tell whether, or how much, she contributed to this heartbreaker, and also hard to have any confidence in this administration’s ability to stand up for itself. Strange for a White House that’s boasting what guts it took to pull the trigger on Osama, to be so cowed, so fast, by a bunch of old guys without a clue.
Dr. Al Resigns
We learned this morning that Dr. Al Armendariz has resigned as EPA Region 6 Administrator. He made the decision himself, because he believed it was best for the causes that he continues to serve. Reportedly, EPA Administrator Jackson wanted to keep fighting, but Dr. Al said no, he didn’t want an investigation by the likes of Smokey Joe Barton and Company taking up the Agency’s time and resources and involving so many people in and outside of the agency. The resignation is effective immediately today. Sam Coleman, head of the Region 6 Superfund program, and former head of Enforcement for Region 6 becomes Acting Regional Director, a position he’s likely to remain in until after the November election. Words cannot convey the very deep sorrow, or the immense anger this resignation generates. Sorrow that such a hard-working public servant will no longer be able to do the job he loved, and that we loved him doing. Anger that a handful of powerful polluters and their friends can so easily smear such a good person. Dr. Armendariz isn’t sure what he’s going to do now, but will undoubtedly keep doing the work he was doing before he got to EPA. As must we. If there’s any lesson we’ve learned over the last 20 years, it’s that you can’t let setbacks like this deter you. This is a hard one to take, but we have to pick ourselves up and adapt and keep going. This is the statement he released today to the Dallas Morning News……..”Dear Friends, I have been honored to serve as your regional administrator for EPA’s region 6 office the last 2 and ½ years. I never once forgot that the reason I was appointed was to serve you, to act as your voice, and to work day and night to better protect the environment and your safety.Today I am resigning my position as regional administrator. This was not something that was asked of me by Administrator Jackson or the White House. It is a decision I made myself. I had become too much of a distraction, and no one person is more important than the incredible work being done by the rest of the team at EPA. I leave with an incredible sense of pride for the things the Agency accomplished and it was fantastic to be a part of the effort. Administrator Jackson has overseen a renaissance in the Agency and it is again the global leader in environmental protection. President Obama has been incredibly supportive of me and my work and the Agency. He’ll undoubtedly go down as the most environmental president we have ever had. Thank you all for letting me into your homes and communities, and showing me the challenges you face every day from pollution and lack of infrastructure. Your stories are now part of my fabric and the fabric of the Agency. Best always, Al Armendariz.”
More of This Please
“Ms. Jackson:
When I heard Dr. Armendariz was being attacked again, I wanted to write to tell you how important he is to so many of us who are living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
We are a non-attainment area as you know. We breathe dirty air. We’re in the midst of a drought and gas drilling is moving in fast to make both problems worse. The TCEQ doesn’t help us. My Republican and even Democratic neighbors often don’t understand the problem. EPA enforcement is sometimes all we have. He understands the problems. I saw him at an Earth Day celebration in Dallas last Saturday. I was so proud and thankful that we have him as an advocate. Please do all you can to protect his job and his reputation. We desperately need him.
Sincerely, Kerrie Kimberling”
Send your own e-mail Thank you for Dr. Al to Lisa Jackson: jackson.lisap@epa.gov
Another Reason Why 1000 Feet Isn’t Far Enough
We’ve heard that the gas industry lobbyists hanging out at Dallas City Hall are seriously advocating reducing the mandatory distance between gas drilling wells and neighborhoods, from the recommended 500-1000 feet down to only 300 feet – the length of a football field. Citizens have noted all kinds of reasons why that’s way too close, and even why 1000 feet is still not far enough to prevent significant public health risk from drilling’s hazards. The Army Corps of Engineers says fracking shouldn’t be taking place within 3000 feet of dams because of the potential harm to structural integrity. Why would freeway support columns or home foundations be more immune to this threat? The Colorado School of Public Health concludes that those living within a half mile of a gas well – over 2000 feet – have a 66% increased chance of getting cancer. Why not incorporate this research into new Dallas buffer zone decisions? And from a reader comes this story of a Chesapeake gas well blowout in Wyoming that’s forced the evacuation of people living as far away as 2.5 MILES. Although Chesapeake would not disclose the amount of pollution the leaking caused, it assured everyone that air quality measurements were “normal.” Residents up to 6 miles away reportedly could heat the noise of the gas as the leak burst open. 300 feet? 3000 feet may mot be enough. Read More
Cub Scout Tours and Burning Plastic? Must Be Time for Cement Plant Environmental Awards!
Irony isn’t dead. But even it has to sit down and self-medicate when the Portland Cement Association rolls out it annual “Environment and Energy Awards.” This year’s winners include the CEMEX Louisville Kentucky plant (27,000 pounds of toxic releases in 2010) for its substitution of a a pug screw for the more traditional pug mill, Titan’s Troutville, Virginia plant (13,882 pounds of toxic releases in 2010) for it’s excellent cub scout tours and self-interested quarry expansion PR campaign, and Holcim’s Theodore, Alabama plant (1, 037 pounds of toxic releases in 2010) for burning tires and plastics. We are not making this up.
ALA’s State of the Air Report: We’re Still Breathing Dirty Air
This annual effort was released this week and relies on data from 2008, 2009, and 2010. In other words, it does not include last summer’s horrific ozone season, the worst in five years, and the one that had Dallas taking away the title of worst air in Texas from Houston.
Even without those numbers, air quality in the DFW metromess is ranked 12th worst in the country out of 277 metro areas, while Houston is ranked 8th. It also gives a pass to DFW on particulate matter, despite seeing levels that have been associated with strokes. This is because the metrics the ALA uses rely on federal standards – as long as you’re above those standards, it gives you a passing grade. But now science tells us that those standards are not protective, so take these kinds of assurances with appropriate grains of salt.
Look at the year-by-year charts for DFW pollution. The good news is that both ozone and PM levels started to fall dramatically around 2006-7 – perhaps as a result of the last semi-competent air plan that was implemented during this timeframe. Change is possible. We can find ways to clean the air when we want to. The bad news is that since that plan was adopted and carried out, there’s been no follow-up by the state, and no attempt to reign-in the air pollution from the gas industry, which has almost doubled in the last six to seven years. This is why ozone numbers climbed last year and it’s also why many of us predict that this summer will see no relief from our chronic ozone pollution. Next year’s State of the Air report will not be as kind.