As Texas pulls out of a deep freeze, stopping and restarting its fossil fuel infrastructure poses a new threat to the environment, according to an article from Bloomberg. Already, Exxon Mobil and Valero have reported the release of many tons of pollutants in recent days.
Refineries must flare off or otherwise release gas when starting up or shutting down. Shutdowns due to weather can result in the release of emissions far above the allowable levels. At least seven refineries were reportedly attempting to restart this week, all suffering some form of weather-related damage. Less than six months ago, extreme weather from Hurricane Laura hitting Port Arthur, Texas caused mass shutdowns and the release of more than 2,000 tons of emissions, according to Bloomberg.
Read the entire article here.
