Last week, various media outlets reported that Mayor White asked the EPA to reconsider its methods of calculating emissions from area industry. Here is an excerpt from the Chronicle account:
Mayor Bill White on Thursday challenged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s methods for calculating emissions from large refineries and chemical plants, saying that the approach significantly underreports the amount of pollution in Houston’s skies.
White said studies show that actual emissions can be 100 times greater than EPA estimates, which are based on industry-provided data.
To produce more reliable information, the federal agency should require refineries and chemical plants to verify the accuracy of their emissions with emerging laser technology and fence-line monitors, among other steps, White said.
“Up until now, the EPA has relied on rough estimates, and the companies themselves have done the estimates,” he said. “It’s a simple request, but it’s a very bold request. It’s a request that will allow the people of Houston to know what’s in their air.”
The mayor said federal, state and local governments must have reliable data to make decisions regarding public health.
If what the mayor claims about the current EPA methodology is true (and we have no reason to believe it is not), then his proposal for more accurate collection of emissions data by independent parties seems eminently sensible (much more so than previous threats to engage in dubious legal wrangling over emissions). Indeed, we would suggest that gathering accurate data to measure performance is important in many different areas of public policy.
