Texas on Lonely Side of Battle Over Ozone Pollution
At the state agency responsible for protecting Texans from pollution, a cadre of scientists is now marshaling its arguments to fight tougher federal standards on ozone levels — even as the overwhelming majority of the scientific community heads in the other direction.
Led by the state's chief toxicologist, the group has spent months fleshing out its position that ozone levels in cities across Texas, and the United States, aren't harmful to human health now. They join Republicans in Texas, and nationwide, who are vowing to fight any attempt by the Obama administration to lower acceptable limits any further.
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Comments (29)
J Patrick Miculka via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Scientists paid by the corporations generating the ozone?
Daniel Grossi via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Is it the same group of scientists that got themselves iced in at the North Pole trying to prove global warming is real??
Chuck Wright via Texas Tribune on Facebook
In HS (we won't discuss how many years ago that was). . .the "consensus" was it was the Next Ice Age that would do us in. . . . reality and mother nature laughed. . ..then all the minions followed Al Gore and teh "Arctic Cap will be a lake by 2008". . .scare. . .Al made millions. . .the caps are actually BIGGER now. . . . is it too much to ask to get some REAL science. . .not Al "I invented the internet" hysteria to line his own pockets?
Jerry Andrews via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Classic example of word warfare: deny the obvious truth and state that just that the opposite of the facts is the truth. This method has worked well to convince folks of lots of falsehoods. Fortunately, when you publish a piece like this that is the complete opposite of medical fact and scientific fact, the doctors and scientist not schilling for industry call you out and point out the facts. The children of Texas are getting asthma at tremendously increased rates over the past. They deserve elected officials who do not distort the truth in order to support those industries that give them political support. Shame on you Michael Honeycutt for putting your personal welfare ahead of public health!
Alice Burkhart via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I like clean air.
Rick Bentley via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Texas Regressive Party is on the big river in Egypt.
Rick Bentley via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Ice Cap news from a reputable source (not Newsmax or Business Insider). http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/
Richard Gary Hirschhorn via Texas Tribune on Facebook
For those that insist that pollution is not harmful, I suggest a simple test. Before you tucky up at night, turn on your car's engine and run a tube from the exhaust pipe to your bedroom.
Chuck Wright via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Now the left is claiming Al Gore didn't state the arctic would be gone. . .pay close attention at the 1:13 mark. . .stop the spin, stop the lies. . . . .it would give you some credibility ..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPLD8aylRiw
Tim Jones via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Rick Perry appointees.
Stephen Smith via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Another misleading headline. No Republicans are anti-science. There is a question as to whether the regs are necessary. The mantra of those on the left is that anyone that raises rational questions about the need for certain environmental regulations is anti-science. Point in fact, they are often pretending to use 'science" to accomplish political goals.
Lark Jarvis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Toadies. Always have been--at least as far back as I can remember (20 yrs or so).
Edward Hartmann via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is a result of the TCEQ's chief toxicologist Dr Honeycut going on record as saying "smog isn't toxic".
Brielle Insler via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Money over everything in Texas.
Jim Vance
O3 at high altitude is a really good thing (it provides screening of ultraviolet parts of the sunlight spectrum), but at a low altitude near the ground where it is repeatedly sucked into many living sets of lungs, it most certainly is not -- ozone is a far more reactive agent (reagent) than oxygen (O2) and produces rapid degradation in any lung's alveoli where the necessary exchange of oxygen intake and carbon dioxide release occurs.
How much more of a joke will Texas have to become on this planet until corporate toadies like these appointees can be removed from office in disgrace for being such idiots?
Daniel Astalas via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Ostrich syndrome
K'Lin Noble via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Government protection from pollution. That's a great punch line!!
Todd Humphreys via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Better known as "Institutional Insanity"
Earl Green via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Look these people owe "Big Oil" their souls so you can hardly expect them to do otherwise. A big change is coming in Texas so they had better watch out.
James Alderman
If current levels of pollution from industry were actually killing people, don't you think we'd be seeing some wrongful death lawsuits? At lease one? Somewhere?
Heck, in civil court you only have to be 51% right to win, so all these pollution-related deaths should be a slam dunk if there was any truth to it. Isn't it odd that we never hear names of the deceased? I'm sure if there was even one it would be all over the news, followed immediately by a lawsuit, which would also be all over the news. But nothing. Very odd, don't you think?
Joseph Lippert via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Maybe it's time to liquidate and abolish the TCEQ.
Elaine Kimzey via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is shameful!
Neil Moyer via Texas Tribune on Facebook
TCEQ lost in the ozone again....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDAEXn8RJFs
Marty Jamieson via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I want to inhale fresh air and drink clean water
AND
I Vote......
Make it happen Toby
Gigem!
Sonora Hartley via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Of course! I expect nothing less from a Texas agency than total denial of science.
Davidiva Allen via Texas Tribune on Facebook
We do not need EPA...In Texas....they are trying to destroy "Our Economy"....they were not elected...they have no right to tell the rest of us anything....
April Coldsmith
Why do we elect people who appoint such idiots. They are killing us and our kids; figuratively and literally. All in the name of money. Texans have become greedy and don't seem to care about Texans anymore. It's pathetic.
Sandra Manley Levy via Texas Tribune on Facebook
and the citizens of Texas. stop with the fanagalling the polution standards!
Sam Davis via Texas Tribune on Facebook
TCEQ - a wholly owned subsidiary of the oil and gas industry.