Gov. Greg Abbott could risk the health of thousands of Texans if he repeats the mistake that he made by waiting seven months to reinstate environmental regulations suspended after Hurricane Harvey flooded the state two years ago.

Abbott issued another open-ended suspension of environmental rules Thursday in response to Tropical Storm Imelda, which poured up to 43 inches of rain on southeast Texas after it landed on Sept. 17. Subsequent flooding led to power outages and equipment failures that released nearly 100,000 pounds of cancer-causing chemicals and other toxins into the air.

Benzene, ethylene oxide and 1,3-butadiene, a known carcinogen, were among the pollutants released during Imelda, mostly in Harris and Jefferson counties The Exxon Mobil plant in Beaumont released more than 36,000 pounds of pollutants while another 5,300 pounds were released from the petrochemical company’s Baytown refinery.

Abbott suspended pollution rules at the request of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which said at least a dozen petrochemical companies had reported storm damage that forced unauthorized emissions of pollutants. The TCEQ’s request said enforcing the rules could “prevent, hinder or delay necessary action in coping with this disaster.”

That perspective was criticized by several environmental groups. They said the commission was focused on helping petrochemical companies instead of public safety. “Many of the suspended rules have nothing to do with disaster recovery but are critically important to protect communities and hold industry accountable,” said Environment Texas executive director Luke Metzger.

Metzger pointed out that the commission has broad discretion to decide when to levy penalties, so it doesn’t need a waiver of pollution rules to give a specific company additional time to recover from Imelda. “Waiving environmental protections gives companies a blank check to pollute our air, water and land,” he told the editorial board.

More than 8 million pounds of air pollutants were released during Hurricane Harvey, but an analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project said that number could have been much lower. Noting that a “state of disaster” was declared for 30 counties two days before Harvey landed, the report said too many companies didn’t use that time to conduct slower, controlled shutdowns that release less pollution.

“If a company pollutes because it is careless, negligent, or not accounting for foreseeable risks — even during a severe weather event — it deserves to pay a penalty,” said Metzger.

The commission apparently doesn’t see it that way. A separate analysis by the Environmental Integrity Project showed the TCEQ imposed penalties for only 57 out of 872 unauthorized pollution releases by Houston-area plastic plants from 2015 through 2017. The agency is so vested in favoring the petrochemical industry that it is reluctant to even slap its wrist.

By issuing a blanket suspension of pollution rules rather than granting waivers where it is appropriate for post-Imelda recovery, Abbott and the TCEQ have once again failed to give public health the priority it deserves. They may think the best thing they can do for Texans is create and save jobs. But what good is a job if you’re too sick to go to work?