A report from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality found the agency’s regional deployment of personnel to conduct air quality monitoring of industrial facilities following natural disasters was “unnecessary.”

TCEQ’s report found out of 3.6 million monitoring data points taken following natural events, such as storms, 23 exceeded a value considered healthy. However, industrial-based events reported out of 1.5 million data points taken from two fires, 215 exceeded healthy values.

The report was presented to commissioners during a Jan. 28 work session. TCEQ Executive Director Toby Baker said the report, which analyzed major natural disasters from 2017 to 2021, took advantage of “once-in-history” events to study how facilities restarted following storms and fires.

“While each event is unique and TCEQ will tailor its response to meet specific conditions, data compiled in the analysis will be helpful in deploying resources more effectively,” Baker said.

Craig Printzlaff, TCEQ's director of compliance and enforcement, said going forward, the agency's investment in oceanside monitoring is a "game changer."

"We now have assets deployed to reduce the time delay it takes us to get set up in the field," Printzlaff said. "I can't wait to see how they're used."

The report analyzed 2021’s Winter Storm Uri, 2020’s Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Delta, and 2017’s Hurricane Harvey. Two industrial fires in 2019 were also studied: The Intercontinental Terminal Co. fire in Deer Park in March and the Texas Petrochemicals Group fire in Port Neches in November.

TCEQ tracked monitoring for 14 different hazardous compounds commonly found in industrial emissions. The report said when industrial facilities restart operations following a natural disaster, the possibility of excess emissions increases.

A further finding is most storm-related industrial emissions take place in the first days of the storm, when most of TCEQ’s monitoring is offline.

Regardless of whether chemical concentrations in an area exceeded healthy values, if a facility reports an emission of a chemical in excess of permitted amounts, the TCEQ will investigate and take enforcement action when appropriate, the report said.

Commissioner Emily Lindley thanked the TCEQ for its work on the report.

"If the data said something different, we would be up and running with it," Lindley said. "I don't think we did this exercise to prove a point, and this is what the data says."