Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have violated pollution laws are seeking permit renewals

One facility has emitted cancer-causing chemicals into waterways at levels up to 520% higher than legal limits.

HOUSTON — Multiple Houston-area oil and gas facilities that have previously violated the pollution limits in their permits have recently applied for new federal operating permits or renewals.

These facilities include the Chevron Pasadena Refining facility, the LyondellBasell Houston refinery, and the Chevron Phillips Chemical Sweeny Complex in Brazoria County, all of which are seeking renewed Title V permits.


Title V air permits are required for facilities that are considered major sources of air pollution by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In general, a facility is considered a major source when it emits more than 100 tons of most pollutants or more than 10 tons of hazardous air pollutants, which are known to cause cancer or serious health effects, each year.

There are 1,455 Title V facilities in Texas, according to Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) spokesperson Victoria Cann. This represents more than 10% of all Title V facilities in the U.S., according to data from 2020, which puts the national total of Title V facilities at 12,726. There are currently 88 facilities seeking new or renewed Title V permits in Texas, according to TCEQ.

Chevron’s Pasadena refining facility

Chevron is seeking a renewal of their Title V operating permit for the company’s Pasadena refining facility.

The facility violated the Clean Air Act in eight of the past 12 quarters and violated the Clean Water Act in seven of the past 12 quarters, including elevated effluent water discharges of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes at levels up to 520% as high as the legal limit, according to the EPA’s compliance database. Benzene has been linked to a number of health problems, including an increased cancer risk and cell disruption. Ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylenes have been linked to short-term impacts like headaches, dizziness, and fatigue, and long-term problems like memory, vision, and hearing loss.

Houston area residents recently gathered to attend a hearing on Chevron’s Pasadena Title V permit renewal. Some attendees shared support for renewing the permit, citing economic and community donations, while others shared concerns about health impacts from the refinery’s operations.

Inyang Uwak, an environmental epidemiologist and research and policy director at the environmental group Air Alliance Houston, said the refinery’s benzene fenceline monitoring levels have been above the EPA action level since April of last year.

While exceeding the action level is not a violation in itself, it does require the refinery to determine a “root cause analysis and take corrective action.” In the past two years, Chevron Pasadena Refinery has exceeded the EPA action level for benzene 18 times.

“I know benzene can be very scary,” Chevron Pasadena Refinery’s environmental manager Steph Seewald said at the hearing, stating that the new data for the first quarter of 2025 should be available soon, and is “trending downward.” Federal data to confirm this is not yet available at the time of publication.

Pasadena Refining’s general manager Tifanie Steele said that since Chevron purchased the refinery six years ago from Petrobras, the facility has made “several improvements” and cited decreases in overall emissions by “investing time and money into improving compliance.”

LyondellBasell’s Houston refinery

LyondellBasell's Title V permit hearing for its Houston-area refinery is scheduled for May 6, 2025, despite an announcement that this facility will soon close.

Violations in the last three years at this facility, according to EPA data, include one quarter violating the Clean Air Act, four quarters violating the Clean Water Act and three quarters violating the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, which governs the disposal of solid, hazardous waste.

The future of the facility remains unclear, but the company stated it plans to start operations of “circular projects” in 2025. Residents and environmental groups like Air Alliance Houston say they hope this hearing will provide clarity about the company’s future in Houston.

Chevron Phillips Chemical’s manufacturing facilities in Brazoria County

Chevron Phillips Chemical’s second largest manufacturing facility in Brazoria County, which spans across three sites, is also seeking a renewal of their federal operating permit.

According the the EPA, the Chevron Phillips Chemical Sweeny Complex has violated its permits numerous times during the past three years: for one quarter it violated the Clean Air Act, for seven quarters it violated the Clean Water Act, for six quarters it violated the Safe Drinking Water Act, and for five quarters it violated the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act.

The Houston-Galveston-Brazoria area is home to one of the nation’s largest concentrations of petrochemical facilities, accounting for nearly 42% of the nation’s supply. The dense population of petrochemical facilities creates concern about cumulative impacts for communities that live in these regions, which recent studies suggest are often underestimated.

In order to keep community members in the Greater Houston area informed, Air Alliance Houston told Environmental Health News that they maintain a database called AirMail to alert residents of upcoming public meetings regarding permits. The TCEQ has made attempts in the past five years to increase public participation in meetings through avenues like increasing language accessibility, but participation is still lacking.

“Similar to voting, [attending public meetings] is your opportunity to have a voice,” Air Alliance representative Cassandra Cassados Klein told EHN. “We know that civic engagement is a great tool in protecting our air quality.”

A house is loaded onto a truck at a dock next to a body of water.

How a First Nation’s housing project could spark a home-rescue revolution

A small First Nation in British Columbia is showing how salvaged homes can become sustainable housing — and a blueprint for greener development.

David Beers and Quinn Kelly report for The Tyee.

Keep reading...Show less
Rows of solar panels in a large parking lot with a sign in the foreground displaying a General Motors logo.

Michigan reimagines its toxic land as a solar-powered future

Michigan wants to clean up its polluted past by turning contaminated industrial sites into a new solar-powered frontier.

Douglas J. Guth reports for Inside Climate News.

Keep reading...Show less
Beige mushrooms grow alongside moss on a wet fallen log.
Credit: Rob/Unsplash

Mushrooms are cleaning up wildfire ruins — and may revive toxic land across America

After the deadly Los Angeles wildfires turned homes into chemical-laced rubble, one scientist is using mushrooms and native plants to detoxify the land and rethink how to clean up after disaster.

Mattha Busby reports for Atmos.

Keep reading...Show less
A group of people at a demonstration holding signs in support of science.
Credit: Photo by Vlad Tchompalov/Unsplash

Trump’s EPA quietly backs off from enforcing pollution laws

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has dramatically scaled back enforcement against major polluters, raising fears about the future of public health protections.

Tom Perkins reports for Grist.

Keep reading...Show less
Red car with EV charger hooked up to it.

Trump administration sued by 17 states over frozen funds for electric vehicle charging network

Seventeen states have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for halting billions in federal funding intended to expand the national electric vehicle charging infrastructure.

Sophie Austin and Alexa St. John report for The Associated Press.

Keep reading...Show less
White microscopes on top of black table.

Zeldin’s EPA restructuring could curb climate action and strain environmental protections

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, under Administrator Lee Zeldin, is downsizing staff to 1980s levels despite decades of added environmental responsibilities and growing public health challenges.

Sean Reilly, Jean Chemnick, Ellie Borst, and Miranda Willson report for E&E News.

Keep reading...Show less
A space satellite hovering above the coastline.
Credit: SpaceX/Unsplash

Trump moves to end federal studies on rocket and satellite pollution, raising concerns over Musk’s influence

The Trump administration plans to shut down research led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) into pollution from satellites and rockets that is tied in part to Elon Musk’s expanding space ventures.

Tom Perkins reports for The Guardian.

Keep reading...Show less
From our Newsroom
Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

Regulators are underestimating health impacts from air pollution: Study

"The reality is, we are not exposed to one chemical at a time.”

Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro speaks with the state flag and American flag behind him.

Two years into his term, has Gov. Shapiro kept his promises to regulate Pennsylvania’s fracking industry?

A new report assesses the administration’s progress and makes new recommendations

silhouette of people holding hands by a lake at sunset

An open letter from EPA staff to the American public

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We need to hold this administration accountable.”

wildfire retardants being sprayed by plane

New evidence links heavy metal pollution with wildfire retardants

“The chemical black box” that blankets wildfire-impacted areas is increasingly under scrutiny.

People  sitting in an outdoors table working on a big sign.

Op-ed: Why funding for the environmental justice movement must be anti-racist

We must prioritize minority-serving institutions, BIPOC-led organizations and researchers to lead environmental justice efforts.

Stay informed: sign up for The Daily Climate newsletter
Top news on climate impacts, solutions, politics, drivers. Delivered to your inbox week days.