For Dona Thomas, Smokestacks is a typical scene of her home in Fort Bend County, Texas. Since she was a child, she watched the coal and natural gas diocese station with clouds from fog during the day and lightly shine at night. The facility – which has been present since 1958 – is part of the background and all you think.
Thomas is not alone. For decades, the population expressed their fears of pollution emitted from the parish coal station – a separate facility from the natural gas factory – and called for its closure. The factory, which is located about 30 miles southwest of Houston, is rating by the environmental organizers in Texas. One of the worst pollutants In the state for some dangerous emissions. These include mercury, a heavy, heavy metal, especially harmful to children and pregnant women.
This year, mercury was at the height of the minds of environmental activists and residents such as Thomas. In April, President Donald Trump announced Exemption for companies The implementation of mercury regulations dating back to the Biden era for two years. Subordinate 163 qualified charcoal plants11 in Texas and six were approved, including the diocese operator, NRG Energy. In Missouri and Illinois, five coal factories were exempted, and in Pennsylvania, all 12 coal factories that seek approval were approved.
Then in July, Trump Exempt For two years from the Hun Biden 2024 base, a Set of regulations To control dangerous air emissions from chemical plants called the criteria for dangerous organic national emissions of dangerous air pollutants.
The Trump administration has determined that exemptions are in the interest of the country and represent a burden on the industry, and that technology is not available to meet the most striking regulations. Companies like NRG agree.
However, critics say that mercury standards and air toxins for the year 2024 – are called – Mats In short-Hun’s base has long been late and the delay for two years in its implementation is just a tactic to protect industry profit margins at the expense of public health.
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Moreover, critics note that delaying mats may give companies the freedom to ignore the rules of toxic air emissions until the Trump administration completely eliminates the Biden era regulations. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency suggested by Trump a base for Eliminate the base of mats 2024 Completely.
The two rules together led to the out -waring bells of experts and environmental scientists in Texas, home to one of the largest petrochemical sectors in the world and 11 coal factories. Exemptions will continue from 2027 – when Biden’s bases were supposed to enter into 2029.
“We know that these declines are not good for anyone, especially for those who are from the community match,” said Thomas, founder and head of the Fort Bind Environmental team – a popular organization that focuses on environmental justice. “We have about 1,000 homes 3 miles from the parish, so all of this will affect.”
Delay
The Environmental Protection Agency has been on the most stringent environmental regulations for chemical plants The early nineties. In 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency in Biden began formulating new rules seriously.
Neil Carman, a former ecosystems organizer, said that the owners of chemical factories should not behave.
“The chemical industry has known for decades that all of this was coming, but they do not like the rules, because it means that they have to put more control over pollution and they have to do more leakage inspections,” said Carman, who is now a fair air manager at the Texas branch at Sierra Club. “These plants will always tell you,” safety first, safety first, “but then faced this name called money.”
Among the 79 chemical facilities in Texas, which require exemptions, 15, including 13 along the Gulf coast and the so -called petrochemical corridor.
Kareman indicated that the heads of chemical companies have been holding talks with the Trump Environmental Protection Agency since the elections. In March, the administration I announced that companies A request for MATS, Hon and seven other groups of emissions can be applied.
In the same month, the EPA Lee Zeldin official met with President Dow Inc.-CEO Jim Fitterling to discuss the regulations imposed by the Biden Administration, according to General records and email messages Sierra club got it.
in One email It was sent on March 17, DOW Reps requested a discussion of “clarity” about the recent announcement of the Environmental Protection Agency that it will reconsider the Hon base and “Dow met the air and radiation office regarding the extension of the final date of the current compliance, which it is impossible to face.”
In May, Zildin Meet with your maleek And other executives of the Chemical Company to discuss the industry as a whole. Then in July, Trump announced Hun’s exemptions, including chemical manufacturers in Louisiana and one in Seadrift, Texas, run by Dow and Carbide Union Carbide.
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In a statement of Capital & Main, a DOW spokesman said that “safety and integrity is at the heart of both companies’ operations” and “the additions are appropriate and necessary to face technical challenges and ensure the continued safe and effective operation of these facilities.”
Carman does not buy it. Work as an environmental organizer in Texas for 12 years. He said that until then, companies were not able to find the budget to reduce their emissions and chemical leaks. For him, the cost is still.
“Many of these old plants, and so when they enter and do all this work, they must find a place where they will put in new controls and they have to engineer that. They have to design it all. It is months of planning, but these rules were present. They knew they came. They only wanted two other years of delay.”
Reducing mercury
When the Environmental Protection Agency carried out the 2012, mercury base The emissions decreased 86 percent – or 4 tons – in five years.
In 2024, EPA Biden Agree on the base To strengthen mats by tightening emissions for mercury by 70 percent and reducing pollutants that have been discharged through wastewater from plants that operate with more than 660 million pounds per year.
the a base It can prevent up to 11,000 early deaths, 2,800 cases of chronic bronchitis, and 130,000 asthma attacks, according to the Environmental Protection Agency under the leadership of Biden.
However, in April, Trump agreed to the exemptions 47 coal -powered plants Throughout the country. As of mid -August, 70 is now exempt, including the parish.
“These rules were very important to the health of people,” said Surby Sarang, chief lawyer in the Environmental Defense Fund. The Trump administration “was doing this process that was not transparent. I mean, there was no operation. While in the status of the rules, there is a general comment. This is similar to the presidential measure that was somewhat taken in a vacuum and then announced.”
In response to the exemption, Erik Linden, Senior Communications Manager in NRG, said that time is required and will be used to assess technology for air quality systems and surveillance equipment for compliance.
Linden said about the current matches that started in 2012: “All current mattress controls will be preserved and remain in service,” said Linden on the current matches that started in 2012.
However, in July, the Environmental Protection Agency suggested that Trump completely cancel Biden’s referee by the end of the year. The interested parties had three weeks to submit the comments, and the Environmental Defense Fund’s request was rejected to obtain an extension.
“It usually takes 12-18 months if it is no longer more than that,” Sarang said. “They move very quickly.”
All this is worrying for residents who live near the industry. With the extent of changes to the environmental regulations resulting from the Trump administration, there is a lot for Thomas, the parish station is underway, for processing. But she did not give up. Increasingly, Thomas speaks to her neighbors and colleagues about the fighting.
This means sending messages to representatives in Texas and Washington, Thomas said that he drives to be loud.
Thomas said the parish “will do the same thing he was doing.” If the Environmental Protection Agency does not put this station [emissions] Exit, then everyone will pay for this with their lives, waters and in the air. “