A Travis County judge nullified a Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) decision that earlier had granted an air pollution permit for an oil terminal expansion.
Dylan Baddour reports for The Texas Tribune.
- In a rare reversal, a Texas judge overruled the state's decision and sent the case back to the TCEQ for a hearing “on all relevant and material disputed issues of fact.”
- The decision emphasized the alleged injustice of TCEQ's phantom "one-mile rule."
- A recent investigation determined that TCEQ has consistently invoked the “one-mile rule” to deny permit hearings for at least the past 13 years, even though no such rule exists in either Texas law or TCEQ rules.
Key quote:
"In 35 years I don’t think I have ever had a case like this where the air permit was remanded back."
— Diane Wilson, Head of San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper
Why this matters:
This ruling challenges regulatory practices affecting environmental health, spotlighting the impact of industrial projects on local communities and ecosystems. It represents a broader struggle for rigorous environmental oversight and public health protection.
