Rebekah Ward

5 days ago | houstonchronicle.com | Rebekah Ward

Harvey Windham holds up a pamphlet as he speaks while Baytown residents gave formal public comments on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Baytown, about the Exxon Mobil Corporation’s Baytown Olefins Plant, as Exxon has applied to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) for the renewal of its federal operating permit on Monday, Feb. 5, 2024, in Baytown. Karen Warren/Staff photographerHarvey Windham holds a pamphlet behind his back as Baytown residents gave formal public comments on Monday, Feb.

1 week ago | houstonchronicle.com | Rebekah Ward

The U.S. government is facing a backlash after it concluded that the oil and gas industry off the Gulf Coast is likely threatening the survival of the endangered Rice’s whale. “The operation of oil and gas vessels in the Gulf of America, in an area where the endangered Rice’s whale occurs, is likely to jeopardize the continued existence of the whale due to the risk of vessel strike,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration wrote in a “biological opinion” released last week.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Yvette Orozco |Rebekah Ward

The all-clear was given after a chemical leak at a Pasadena area plant prompted a brief shelter in place for workers of a nearby facility Thursday morning. Ineos Styrolution, a polymers manufacturing facility located at 12222 Port Road, issued a CAER notification around 9:40 a.m. about an ammonia leak of unknown quantity that occurred at its facility. Local officials said the incident, which lasted for about 30 minutes, appears not to have been a threat to the local environment and the community.

2 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Rebekah Ward

A year after deadly winds shattered skyscraper windows, toppled trees and caused widespread power outages across Houston, many homes still bear the marks of the derecho’s destruction. The estimated damage from the storm totaled over $1 billion. Data is scarce on the number of Houston-area homes still in disrepair from the 100 mph wind gusts, but according to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, full recovery from a major derecho typically takes years.

3 weeks ago | houstonchronicle.com | Rebekah Ward

The first refinery built along the Houston Ship Channel in 1918 shut down its petroleum production this spring, laying off hundreds of workers, but owner LyondellBasell had no intention of closing the site itself. Instead, the company applied for expedited permits to turn part of the facility into a chemical recycling unit for plastic waste. The move to recycling plastic is setting off a firestorm from local environmental and community groups who want a say in the future of the industrial site.