Tag Archives: Intercontinental Terminals

The ITC fire five years later

We learned some things from this. The Intercontinental Terminals Co. fire that broke out March 17, 2019, did not just lead to a massive black plume of smoke lingering for days over east Harris County, before spreading 20 miles to … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

How many explosions is too many explosions?

Unfortunately, we’re on track to find out. It’s a scene that’s all too familiar to Houston residents. Explosions, flames reaching into the sky, plumes of black smoke, calls to shelter in place, evacuations, injuries and deaths. The explosion early Friday … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

Who sues first?

It matters whether Harris County or the state of Texas is first to the courthouse against an industrial polluter. As chemical plant explosions and fires have disrupted lives and raised air-quality concerns in the Houston area this year, the state … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Who sues first?

Commissioners Court gets more aggressive on environmental enforcement

Good. Commissioners Court on Tuesday voted to hire 61 employees across three departments in a bid to significantly boost Harris County’s ability to respond to environmental emergencies after finding numerous shortcomings in its efforts to manage three chemical fires near … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Commissioners Court gets more aggressive on environmental enforcement

Study shows a lot of gaps in Harris County’s ability to respond to chemical fires

This quantifies what was painfully apparent in recent months. More monitoring and manpower is needed for Harris County to better respond to chemical fires like the three that struck the region earlier this year, worrying residents and shutting the Houston … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Another view of pollution enforcement

The state has its role, but it’s not all on them. Almost two months before a massive chemical fire erupted in Deer Park, sending a dark plume of smoke over much of Harris County, Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia asked … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Another view of pollution enforcement

County brings charges related to ITC fire

Bring it on. Responding to what it called “criminal levels” of contamination, the Harris County District Attorney’s office said Monday that it has charged Intercontinental Terminals Company with five misdemeanor counts of water pollution arising from a March plant fire … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Prosecuting polluters

It really shouldn’t have to come to this, but here we are. The Harris County District Attorney’s office is calling for a tripling of the number of prosecutors dedicated to environmental crimes in the wake of a series of chemical … Continue reading

Posted in Crime and Punishment | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Using floodplain rules to force environmental safety compliance

A county’s gotta do what a county’s gotta do. Harris County officials are using flood control regulations passed after Hurricane Harvey to delay the reopening of two chemical companies where fires erupted in recent weeks, killing one worker and sending … Continue reading

Posted in Legal matters, Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Explode, rinse, repeat

Here we go again. A massive explosion at a chemical plant in northeast Harris County on Tuesday killed one person and sent two others to the hospital in critical condition, sparking a blaze that sent yet another plume of dark … Continue reading

Posted in Elsewhere in Houston | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Explode, rinse, repeat

Harris County sues ITC over Deer Park fire

Go get ’em. Harris County has sued Intercontinental Terminals Co. for failing to prevent a massive chemical fire that burned for more than 60 hours last week and spewed an unknown volume of hazardous chemicals into the air and nearby … Continue reading

Posted in Local politics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Harris County sues ITC over Deer Park fire

State sues over Deer Park fire

Too big to ignore. Late Friday, the state of Texas sued Intercontinental Terminals — the Houston-based company whose petrochemical storage facility in the suburb of Deer Park caught fire last weekend and burned for days, sending a dramatic plume of … Continue reading

Posted in The great state of Texas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments