February 5, 2007 8:08 AM

Isn't it about time we demanded that corporations respect the health of it's customers?

City’s got right to enact law on air: Houston’s effort to target polluters should be backed

Study cites possible link between Ship Channel air, cancer risks: The research bolsters a mother’s suspicions about young son’s illness

State finds toxics imperil Ship Channel neighbors: Monitors show air pollution at 11 hot spots in the Houston area can sicken residents

Anyone who’s lived in the Houston area for any length of time is well aware of the leading role played by chemical plants and refineries in the local economy. Companies like Shell, BP, Valero, Union Carbide and others provide thousands of well-paying jobs and add millions to local tax bases. They provide the chemicals and compounds we take for granted as part of everyday life. Yet how often do any of us stop to ponder the costs that come attached to these benefits? What long-term health risks come with having large plants throwing thousands of tons of dangerous, volatile chemicals into the atmosphere in the middle of the country’s fourth-largest metropolitan area? That no one really seems to know is a factor of willful ignorance, denial, and the fact that local governments are addicted to the tax money provided by these multinational behemoths.

I have to applaud Houston Mayor Bill White for at least trying to reign in plant emissions, but he’s got a tough road ahead of him. While the plants within the Houston city limits may play ball and try to be good citizens- at least to a small degree- many of the most egregious defenders are outside of the Houston city limits…not that toxic emission respect boundaries.

The city of Houston has not been idle in the months following the release of major reports documenting the high levels of benzene and other hazardous air pollutants in the Houston area. On Feb. 12, the city will host a pivotal hearing to decide if specific harmful air toxics should be listed as a “public nuisance,” thereby giving the city the power to fine and prosecute sources that endanger public health.

If our leaders vote “yes,” Houston will become one of the first U.S. cities to make the bold move to tackle its own pollution problems with a powerful new law. Mayor Bill White’s administration will be properly hailed as one that stepped forward to make the tough decisions needed to protect the city and its citizens.

Or White’s administration will be hailed as the one who bit the hand that feeds it. No reasonable person would argue with White’s desire to protect the health of his constitutents. Would that it were that simple. though.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Major opposition to this proposal is already brewing, and the city’s powers to take these actions will undoubtedly be challenged. But given the scope of our pollution problems, and the language of prevailing law, I believe Houston is standing on firm ground in declaring air toxics a public nuisance.

Yes, having these plants as our neighbors brings tremendous economic benefits to the community. In accepting these benefits, however, must we also accept the reality that tons of toxic substances will be dumped into the air we breathe?

I think Bill White is on the right track, though he’s going to need reinforcements from the State of Texas. The problem with this is that the state has historically sided with the interests of Big Business, so there’s a very good chance that White and the City of Houston will be fighting this battle alone.

If this sounds a bit like David taking on Goliath, it’s because that’s exactly what it is. You’re talking about an underfunded city government taking on several multinational mega-corporations with financial resources and attorneys to burn. Perhaps these corporations will come to see that they have a moral responsibility to be good neighbors and do the right thing. Then again, perhaps flying pigs will violate Saudi Arabian airspace….

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on February 5, 2007 8:08 AM.

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