Yahoo Finance 'Does Texas Even Have Sidewalks?' People Are Outraged As The State Urges Residents To Limit Car Use Despite No Viable Alternatives
Gov. Greg Abbott announced on June 7 that the Presidential Disaster Declaration in Texas, which followed severe weather, has been extended to an additional 36 counties. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) also included Austin, Dallas, Hockley, Kaufman, and Newton counties in this declaration, making them eligible for additional aid from FEMA’s public assistance program. Additionally, thirty-one new counties can now apply for aid.
In addition to this announcement, Texas officials are urging residents to reduce car usage due to concerning levels of ozone pollution. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has declared an Ozone Action Day for the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Galveston, and Brazoria areas, as high ozone levels, or smog, are expected in these regions.
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The National Weather Service (NWS) issued an alert stating, "Atmospheric conditions are expected to be favorable for producing high levels of ozone pollution in the Houston, Galveston, and surrounding areas on Friday. You can help prevent ozone pollution by sharing a ride, walking, riding a bicycle, taking your lunch to work, avoiding drive-through lanes, conserving energy and keeping your vehicle properly tuned."
The same warning has been issued for at least five consecutive days as officials suggest that people in these areas use alternatives to driving, such as carpooling, biking, or walking, to help reduce pollution.
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The Smog Star
A report by Environment America, a Denver-based nonprofit, revealed that Texas has become the nation's biggest emitter of toxic substances into streams, rivers, and lakes. This marks the first time Texas has topped the list since the analysis began in 2009. U.S. News also ranks the state 43rd in low pollution and 45th for its natural environment.
Of the 20 biggest polluting facilities in Texas identified by Environment Texas and shared by Inside Climate News, 15 are located along the Gulf of Mexico coastal waterways. This group includes 13 petroleum refineries and chemical plants.
However, the worst polluter in Texas is a chicken processing plant in Mt. Pleasant, operated by Pilgrim's Pride Corp. (NASDAQ:PPC). In 2020, this plant dumped 2.7 million pounds of nitrate compounds into Tankersley Creek.
Two Valero refineries near Galveston Bay were the second and third largest polluters, releasing 3.2 million pounds of pollutants into the water that year. This included 685,000 pounds of hydrogen cyanide, 1.4 million pounds of acrylonitrile, and 22,000 pounds of 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene.
In Freeport, Dow Chemical Co. (NYSE:DOW) released 31 different chemicals into the tidal part of the Brazos River, including 1,229 pounds of ethylene oxide and 23 pounds of hexachlorobenzene.
These environmental issues highlight significant challenges Texas faces in addressing pollution and protecting natural resources. However, the state faces other immediate problems as it wants to limit car use.
Public What?
Texas is notorious for having almost no public transport and wide, multi-lane streets without sidewalks or bike lanes. For example, with a population of almost 400,000, Arlington is the largest U.S. city without a mass public transit system, like bus or rail.
As the news of Texas officials urging residents to minimize their car use and adopt alternative transportation methods broke out, many citizens voiced their concerns on social media.
One person commented, “Maybe design communities around foot traffic and with adequate public transportation instead of sprawling concrete metropolises, that may be possible. As it stands, try telling someone who commutes 60 miles daily for work to ‘avoid using their vehicle.'”
Another one noted how we saw air quality improve drastically during the beginning of the pandemic due to people not driving, yet they’re going back to forcing people into offices to keep those commercial real estate values high.
And lastly, this person perfectly summarized the whole debacle with, “Hey, the air quality is terrible and I know we designed everything to require a car but we really screwed the pooch so we need y’all to get out there and walk in the terrible breathing conditions without any walkable paths.”
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