TCEQ hears from residents on Formosa air permit request

The hearing was requested by the Environmental Integrity Project requested the meeting of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on behalf of the San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeepers organization and its executive director, Diane Wilson.

Texas Commission on Environmental Quality conducted the meeting with Formosa representatives there to speak about the project including Mike Rivet, site manager for the Point Comfort operation.

Rivet said they hoped to explain what the flare improvement project was about and what the company is doing during the meeting.

Eric Quiat with Power Engineers, who assisted Formosa during the permitting process, explained the project was to install four new enclosed ground flares that are to comply with new and more stringent requirements to reduce potential flares and smoking.

During the question and answer portion, Wilson asked why they were seeking approval for 160 tons over the required ground flare emissions and why such a large increase.

Quiat said it was partly due to new fuel due to keeping the flames burning, frequency of planned start ups and shut downs, the direct combustion and control properties are different for carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide as well as a new methodology for calculating carbon dioxide.

He noted the large increase was that it took in all the units.

Luis De La Garza, president of the Calhoun Port Authority board, thanked Formosa for being a big part of the community, TCEQ for holding them accountable and Wilson for holding them all accountable.

Robin Schneider with Texas Campaign for the Environment asked why the TCEQ would issue a “permission to pollute the environment more to a company called by a federal judge a serial polluter?”

Wilson also went through Formosa’s history and the lawsuit as well as the effects of the flares.

“I’m here to say the Waterkeepers are opposed to the authorization of these new emissions for flares and the reason is simply, Formosa is not a good neighbor,” she said.

The formal comment section is the comments that will be sent to the TCEQ commissioner for a response before a decision is made.

Also speaking during this portion was Kris Leabo of Port Lavaca.

“I want to go on record as opposed to this for all the reason Diane and Robin have given,” she said. “I hope and encourage anybody else on each side to speak their mind.”