Topics and Meetings

Upcoming Meetings

  • Monday, April 26, 2021 -- "The Big Freeze: Plant Experiences, Lessons Learned, Best Practices, What Plants Will Do Differently" Videoconference
  • The typical DPCAC meeting agenda includes updates from plants on environmental and safety performance and business information. The main topic may be a presentation, an annual report, or a tour. Time is always allotted for Q&A and discussion. Plans for the next few meetings are reviewed and confirmed. Contact us at info@deerparkcac.org if you would like an invitation to join us on Zoom.

Chemical of the Month:

  • To help the average community member understand more about chemicals, the Deer Park Community Advisory Council is returning to a feature of its meeting agendas from the 1990s and early 2000s called “Chemical of the Month.” Members who hear about a chemical release or read about research on chemical exposure requested this agenda item to improve their knowledge of specific chemicals.
  • The series began at the March 2021 DPCAC meeting with an overview of Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) tool for communicating hazards to workers who handle hazardous materials. Anyone may access SDSs online for many different chemicals and find 16 sections of detailed information about their properties and hazards as well as protection measures and safety precautions for handling, storing, or transporting the chemical.
  • The Chemical of the Month postings will also include documents from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention written for a public audience and thus less technical than SDSs. CDC’s Office of Emergency Preparedness and Response publishes fact sheets on a variety of chemicals. ToxFAQs are published by an arm of the CDC called the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. ToxFAQs have been written for chemicals found in Superfund sites, but the information is generally helpful.
  • Beginning in late April 2021, the DPCAC website will feature a short description of a Chemical of the Month as well as a SDS and any CDC fact sheet or ToxFAQs for that chemical as well as a glossary of SDS terms. The first Chemical of the Month will be Benzene. A glossary of SDS terms will also be posted.
  • These materials will answer questions such as what the chemical is, how it is used, how exposure may occur, how your health might be affected from high level or long term exposure, whether it can cause cancer, and how to protect yourself.

Additional Topics

Current and Prior Year Meeting Summaries
  • March 22, 2021- Ways to Learn about Chemicals with a focus on Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylenes (BTEX)
  • February 22, 2021- A Refresher on EPA's Risk Management Program. Summary
  • January 25, 2021-- Annual "State of the Plant" Reports from DPCAC Plants. Summary
  • November 30, 2020-- Annual Report on Emissions from CAC Plants. Summary
  • October 26, 2020-- DPCAC Role in EHCMA Roll Out of EPA Risk Management Plans. Summary Slides
  • September 28, 2020 -- COVID 101. Slides. Summary
  • August 24, 2020 -- Port Houston Expansion. Summary . Slides.
  • June 1, 2020 -- Interim Report on COVID-19: Why Plants are Essential Businesses. Summary.
  • April 27, 2020 -- San Jacinto College Workforce Programs and Financial Aid. Summary. Slides.
Of Special Interest over the Years
  • March 23, 2020 -- DPCAC 30th Anniversary. Summary.
  • February 24, 2020 -- Process Safety Management. PSM Slides. PSM Chemical Thresholds. Summary.
  • June 3, 2019 -- Plant Show and Tell and Program Planning. Summary.
  • March 5, 2019 -- Joint CAC Meeting: Consequences of Regulatory Changes on the Economy and the Environment. Summary. Speaker Slides: Honeycutt, Craft and Beskid. 
  • February 25, 2019 -- Health Impacts of Living in an Industrialized Area Like Deer Park. Kelsey-Seybold Slides. Texas Cancer Fast Stats
  • March 28, 2016 -- Plant Community Relations Programs. Summary.
  • August 22, 2016 -- Industrial Hygiene:  Protecting Workers from Workplace Hazards. Slides.
  • October 26, 2015 -- Deepwells.  Summary. Slides.
  • June 2012 -- Water Planning in Our Region Summary. Slides.
  • November 2011 -- TCEQ Flaring Study Findings Summary. Slides.
  • August 2009 -- Indoor Air Quality Slides.
  • October 2007 -- Understanding the Links between Exposure, Dose, and Health Effects. Slides.
How We Select Meeting Topics

Every year or so, DPCAC develops a Program Plan to assure it is addressing issues of greatest interest to community members.  Community members, plant members, and guests brainstorm topics they believe DPCAC should address.  Using sticky dots, they choose those they most want to cover in the coming year.  By using different colors for community and plant members, the CAC can schedule the topics of most community interest. The Program Plan is flexible and may be changed by group agreement.

Contact Us if there are issues you would like DPCAC to address or if you would like details and an invitation to a DPCAC meeting.

Deer Park Community Advisory Council
Deer Park Community Advisory Council