Monday, September 23, 2019 – Big Energy Tour and Annual Report on Emissions

Deer Park CAC Receives Annual Report on Plant Emissions

The Deer Park Community Advisory Council (DPCAC) Annual Report on Air Emissions is a compilation of data from member plants that file an Emissions Inventory with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and/or a Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) with the US Environmental Protection Agency. Data from 2018, covering the 14 DPCAC plants, showed reductions in volatile organic compounds (VOCs), sulfur oxides (SOx), total suspended particulate matter, TRI releases to air, benzene, and 1-3, butadiene. There were overall increases in nitrogen oxides (NOx) and carbon monoxide.

The main reasons for the decreases in emissions were returning to routine operations in 2018 compared to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, improved reliability of operations, upgrading a cooling tower, fewer emissions events, and fewer fugitive leaks from equipment like valves and flanges. Some plants saw increases in flaring and others had less flaring. Variation in the products stored at terminals causes numbers to change from year to year.  Changes in the way emissions are calculated also caused some numbers to change.  Overall, since 1987, reported Toxics Release Inventory releases to air have declined 87% while the number of DPCAC plants has grown from 9 to 14.

In 2017, 1963 facilities filed an emissions inventory in Texas.  Of them, 249 were in Harris County and 11 in Deer Park CAC.  The DPCAC plants generated 1% of the NOx emissions and 2% of the VOCs across the state.  They reported releasing 14% of the NOx and 14% of the VOCs in Harris County.

DPCAC will meet on Monday, October 28 for an update on coastal protection plans from the Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas General Land Office.  If you would like an invitation to attend one of the 6:00 p.m. meetings, contact a member or email the DPCAC facilitator at [email protected].