On May 10, 2021, signs can be seen at the headquarters of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in Washington, DC, USA. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
October 15 (Reuters)-The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday that it will investigate the Texas Air Regulator, accusing it of racial bias in its rulings involving pollution from refinery waste recyclers in black communities.
The agency accepted a complaint filed against the state's supervision of Port Arthur, Texas-based Oxbow Calcining, which produces petcoke from a by-product of a refinery.
An environmental advocacy group accused the state's air quality regulators of allowing the factory to operate without scrubbers to capture sulfur dioxide, violating residents' civil rights. Between 2016 and 2019, the plant released approximately 22 million pounds of sulfur dioxide, a substance that irritates the eyes and lungs, in low-income and black areas each year.
A spokesperson for the Texas Environmental Quality Commission, the regulator, said the complaint is being reviewed.
Former Port Arthur City Councillor and founder of the Port Arthur Community Action Network advocacy group John Beard said: “I am encouraged by the EPA’s response to the investigation of our concerns.”
The plant is part of William Koch's Oxbow Company, which is one of the largest oil refineries and natural gas by-product recyclers. The company did not immediately comment.
According to the organization, within 3 miles of the Port Arthur factory, 98% of the population are people of color, and their income is 62% lower.
EPA stated that it will seek alternative disputes and informal resolution procedures to resolve complaints, and if an agreement cannot be reached, it will seek to provide preliminary findings within 180 days of the initiation of the investigation.
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