New EPA Regulations for Industrial Pollution and Water Infrastructure
A dozen environmental groups, including one based in Texas, are suing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for allegedly not preventing harmful pollutants from entering bodies of water [1]. Oil refineries, chemical and plastic plants, and other industrial facilities “dump billions of gallons of wastewater that contain nitrogen that fuels algae blooms, dead zones, and toxins that are harmful to humans and aquatic life.” Under the Clean Water Act, at least once every five years, the EPA is required to evaluate and update pollution limits for different industries based on the “best available technology” [2]. The recently proposed EPA rules would “strengthen and update Clean Air Act standards for ethylene oxide” and apply to dozens of commercial sterilizer plants that emit the cancer-causing chemical. The Midwest Sterilization Corporation plant in Laredo, Texas has some of the highest ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions in the U.S. Several Laredo families have reported cancer-related deaths linked to EtO exposure, especially among children in elementary schools near the plant. The Clean Air Act proposal announced on April 11 would require air pollution control technologies, practices, and procedures at 86 sterilizer facilities owned and operated by 46 companies, including Midwest Sterilization Corp. [3].
The EPA recently announced revised limits for states, counties, and tribal governments to meet a stricter air quality standard for particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) from the current 12 micrograms per cubic meter to a level between 9 and 10 micrograms per cubic meter. There are many health complications associated with PM 2.5, including irregular heartbeats, asthma, and respiratory problems. The EPA projects its proposed annual standard of 9 micrograms per cubic meter would prevent more than 4,000 premature deaths per year [4]. The EPA proposed on April 5 to strengthen the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards for coal-fired power plants and eliminate up to 70% of mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants such as lead, nickel, and arsenic that stunt young children’s brain growth and cause health conditions in adults like heart attacks [2].
By 2070, Texas water demand is forecast to increase by roughly 9%, and the state’s water supply is expected to decrease by 18%. Texas water utilities lose at least 572,000 acre-feet of water annually due to leaky, aging pipes and other water infrastructure. Texas has among the highest proportions of lead-based water lines in the country. The EPA estimates that more than 647,000 water lines in Texas are made of lead — about 7% of the state’s total. Lead in drinking water is particularly dangerous for children, as it damages the central nervous system, creates learning disabilities, and impairs hearing. The EPA announced it would allocate $414 million to Texas for water infrastructure improvements from the federal Drinking Water State Revolving Fund [6]. Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan introduced House Bill 10 to create the Texas Water Fund. The fund would be applied toward infrastructure development and projects that aim to bring safe drinking water from other states. As companion bills to HB 10, Sen. Charles Perry filed Senate Bill 28 and Senate Joint Resolution 75 to establish the New Water Supply Fund to address aging infrastructure and find 2.2 trillion gallons of water in the next ten years [7].
Technologies like denitrification, which takes nitrogen out of wastewater, are used in municipal sewage treatment plants across the U.S. Mechanical filtration and filtrate carbon technologies can be utilized to remove heavy metals and possibly cancer-inducing chemicals from wastewater before discharge to waterways [1]. The EPA is holding a national webinar on May 1 on EtO, and the final rule should take effect at the end of the year. Pollution controls would be required to be in place within 18 months of the agency issuing a final rule [3].
Sources:
[2] https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/11/epa-water-pollution-lawsuit/
[3] https://www.kxan.com/border-report/epa-proposal-could-reduce-cancer-causing-emissions-in-laredo/
[6] https://www.texastribune.org/2023/04/04/texas-lead-water-lines-epa/
[7] https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/07/broadband-water-infrastructure-texas-bills/
