Houston ranks second in Texas for most unauthorized pollution, environmental study finds

Methane is burned off, or flared, at a drilling site. >>See which parts of Texas had the most unauthorized air pollution in 2017 in the photos that follow... Methane is burned off, or flared, at a drilling site. >>See which parts of Texas had the most unauthorized air pollution in 2017 in the photos that follow... Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Photo: Kin Man Hui, Staff / San Antonio Express-News Image 1 of / 27 Caption Close Houston ranks second in Texas for most unauthorized pollution, environmental study finds 1 / 27 Back to Gallery

The Houston metro area has the second most unauthorized air pollution in the state, analysis of reports filed by companies to state regulators by the Environment Texas Research & Policy Center, an environmental policy nonprofit, found.

Over 9 million pounds of unauthorized emissions were released in Houston in 2017, second to Midland, where Texas' booming oil field, the Permian Basin, is located. Unauthorized emissions are events in which an industrial facility releases large amounts of pollution into the air during a breakdown, process malfunction, operator error or maintenance work.

Companies are required to report unauthorized emissions to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. In 2017, 275 companies reported over 4,000 emissions events that resulted in the release of more than 63 million pounds of air pollution in the state, up 27 percent from 2016, the study found.

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Midland had over 37 million total pounds of unauthorized emissions, the study found, nearly 60 percent of the state's total unauthorized pollution.

As a comparison, the average American family emits 411 pounds of sulfur dioxide, which causes acid rain, each year, according to the Leonardo Academy, a nonprofit that quantifies environmental impacts.

Air pollution from industrial sources can cause long-term health issues for the population exposed, such as higher rates of cancer and heart disease, and is a major contributor to climate change.

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Name of Environment Texas in first paragraph has been corrected.

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