During the Fourth of July, we are often mesmerized by fireworks lighting up the sky, but we don’t always pay attention to the aftermath. While we’re frequently warned about firework safety to prevent injuries, many people don’t realize the health impacts of the smoke.

Sometimes we forget how close we are to nature; Buffalo Bayou is home to many species of birds, fish, and plants, but's also home to tons of trash.

The report from the American Lung Association also highlighted significant disparities in air pollution exposure. People of color are more than twice as likely as white individuals to live in communities with failing grades.

This web article explores the impact of the federal government's decision to shut down the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Environmental Justice Screen and Mapping tool (EJScreen) following an executive order signed by President Trump. The story follows Ava Elizarraz, a Houston mother, who relied on the EJScreen to make informed decisions about her family's health and safety, such as finding neighborhoods with cleaner air and fewer environmental hazards. With the tool's discontinuation, Elizarraz faces challenges in accessing reliable environmental data. The article also highlights the efforts of the Public Environmental Data Partners, a coalition dedicated to preserving public access to federal environmental data, as they work to fill the gap left by the EJScreen's removal.

We breathe over 22,000 times a day, but what if the air we breathe is harming us and our children? The World Health Organization reports more than 90 percent of children breathe polluted air that puts their health at risk.

Plastic chemical manufacturing plants line the Gulf Coast and create concerns for wildlife and human health.

Have you ever experienced dirty drinking water, oil flowing where it doesn’t belong, or lingering smoke so thick you can’t see the skyline?

On Monday, crude oil and saltwater leaked out of an ExxonMobil tank that had lost power, seeping into the Horsepen Bayou in Clear Lake.

Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee announced that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a permit for a concrete crushing facility to be built near LBJ Hospital. The action has prompted legal action from county officials.

Living next to a plant can sometimes be a nuisance to Houston-area residents.

Last June, danger shook the island of Quintana when an explosion erupted at Freeport LNG in Brazoria County.

Air Alliance Houston is taking action to address environmental concerns in a Southwest Houston community and raising awareness about air pollution issues.

Several elected officials and community leaders gathered Tuesday morning to call on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to move aggressively on several high-profile pollution cases impacting local communities.

In an effort to protect and advocate for the health of their community, leaders in the historic Sunnyside neighborhood in southeast Houston have installed a network of five new air monitors.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and the Pollution Control Services (PCS) introduced the county’s new mobile air monitoring unit designed for rapid ambient air monitoring (RAAM).

Living in Houston, air quality is a concern for nearly everyone, but research shows some communities are hit harder by the dangers of persistent pollution.

But, if you’re concerned about the dangers of pollution, there is a way you can track air pollution right on your phone. Ad“We were lacking some resources, yes,” said Dr. Latrice Babin, director of the Harris County Pollution Control Services. Kuukibot: Pronounced “Cookie bot”Now, citizens are learning about a Twitter feed named Kuukibot, pronounced like cookie-bot, that robotically broadcasts air quality issues in short digestible burst via Twitter. New initiative with Harris County Precinct 2January Advisors is also working with Harris County Precinct 2 on a similar initiative. For now, though, Harris County Pollution Control does not appear to be onboard with January Advisor’s publicly facing Kuukibot.

TEXAS – Fallout from the winter storm in Texas continues to roll in as plants and refineries that are required to self-report extra emissions, report millions of pounds of pollution during a period of forced shutdowns. In Harris County alone, plants, refineries and large industrial operations reported approximately 700,000 lbs. of extra emissions of various sorts, that are most commonly branded “pollution”. In Baytown, The Exxon Mobil Olefins plant emitted approximately 3.5 times more pollution during an 11-day period bracketing the winter storm, than during the Hurricane Harvey flooding event. The increased flaring, which causes the pollution, is a typical byproduct of shutdown and startup events at refineries and plants.

NBC News, the Texas Observer, and insideclimatenews.org have partnered for an extensive investigation into the role climate change is playing with Superfund sites across the U.S. He is convinced the EPA needs to revisit Superfund sites in areas prone to flooding, hurricanes and sea-level rise because these symptoms of climate change were never figured into Superfund site remediation plans. MAP: Superfund sites in Houston area (courtesy: NBC News)“All of that overflows and it comes all over the properties,” said John Barrett. AdPlan for major flooding eventsThe site has had a history of flooding; however, the site plans and selected remedy take those challenges into account. I’m not familiar with this particular superfund site, but I have requested a briefing on it by the EPA.”

HOUSTON – As Hurricane Laura barreled toward the Gulf Coast a few weeks ago, in and around Houston, plants and refineries scrambled to shut down. During the shutdown and restart process surrounding Hurricane Laura, energy companies reported to TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality) that 8 million pounds of emissions were released in Harris, Brazoria, Jefferson and Orange counties. There’s some opinion there but here’s a fact:During that exact same period that refineries shut down for Hurricane Laura, the state of Texas unplugged its air quality monitors in the storm’s path. Our state’s version of the Environmental Protection Agency is the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). See what TCEQ did in response to Hurricane Laura.