In the initial months of President Donald Trump’s second term, significant shifts occurred in federal environmental regulations, particularly affecting communities like Channelview, Texas, an area heavily populated by Latino residents living near oil refineries and petrochemical facilities.
Public Health Watch recently explored the environmental struggles faced by Channelview on their investigative podcast, Fumed. This community, with approximately 46,000 residents, has experienced a transformation over the past thirty years from a quiet neighborhood into an environmental justice community grappling with high levels of pollution, notably benzene, a chemical linked to leukemia.
According to a map created by the Environmental Defense Fund using U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and census data, Channelview neighborhoods fall into the 99th percentile for cancer risk posed by nearby petrochemical operations.
The changes made by the Trump administration involve dismantling various policies enacted under President Joe Biden, creating a political cycle where regulations oscillate with the shifting of presidential administrations.
This lack of regulatory consistency poses a heightened risk to polluted communities in Texas, Louisiana, and other states that favor industrial activity, as the EPA often serves as their primary source of assistance.
Below are seven key federal policy alterations initiated under the Trump administration that significantly impact Channelview and similar heavily industrialized areas.
1. **Cuts to Weather Scientists and Forecast Accuracy**
The Trump administration has implemented budget cuts resulting in a reduction of more than 20% of staff at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), encompassing the National Weather Service as well.
The proposed budget for 2026 aims to reduce NOAA’s funding by approximately 25%.
For areas like Channelview and the adjacent Houston Ship Channel—one of the world’s largest petrochemical hubs—accurate weather forecasting is critical, especially considering Texas’s susceptibility to hurricanes.
Channelview particularly faces high flooding risk, with 92% of properties in its River Bottom neighborhood classified as susceptible to flooding, based on archived EPA data.
A recent study indicated that Texas is projected to experience the highest increase in property losses due to hurricane-force winds in the nation, with winds expected to be 14% stronger by the 2050s.
The erosion of staff and resources at NOAA could lead to less precise forecasts.
According to Houston meteorologist Matt Lanza, this inadequacy means that evacuations would likely need to include larger areas than necessary.
Historically, such evacuations can be costly and perilous, as evidenced by the 2015 evacuation for Hurricane Rita, which resulted in a 20-hour traffic jam and over 100 fatalities, including many vulnerable individuals in nursing homes.
Inadequate warnings may also inadvertently lead to increased pollution levels; petrochemical facilities anticipating a storm might shut down unnecessarily, leading to pollution bursts during the start-up and shut-down processes.
Lanza notes that these funding cuts may seem minor on a budgetary scale, yet they drastically impact public safety and health:
“You have to think of it as return on investment.
The National Weather Service is one of the best returns on investment you have in government.”
2. **Adjusting Standards for Fine Particulate Matter**
The Biden administration’s stringent regulations targeting fine airborne particles have been weakened under Trump’s policies.
These airborne particulates, arising from various sources including vehicles and chemical plants, have been directly linked to severe health conditions, including various forms of cancer and heart disease.
In March, the Trump administration announced intentions to “increase flexibility” in the implementation of the Biden-era standards, but no further clarification was provided by the EPA to Public Health Watch regarding the specifics.
Residents of ten Texas counties—including Harris County, where Channelview is situated—would have benefitted from cleaner air under the tightened Biden regulations.
A Public Health Watch analysis has estimated that, in 2016, 8,405 deaths in Texas were attributable to fine particles, with Harris County bearing the brunt at 1,372 fatalities or 31 deaths per 100,000 residents.
3. **Dismantling Environmental Justice Initiatives**
Immediately upon taking office for his second term, President Trump rescinded a program established by the Biden administration that mandated federal funding recipients to invest in environmental justice communities.
Furthermore, an announcement by the EPA in March confirmed the termination of all ongoing environmental justice initiatives.
This included the discontinuation of EJScreen, a valuable online tool that provided essential data concerning health risks and environmental hazards, helping to identify communities with high pollution levels and vulnerable demographics.
The tool indicated that Channelview resides in the uppermost tier for toxic pollution nationally.
Moreover, the Trump administration shuttered the EPA’s environmental justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., along with ten regional offices responsible for administering programs and grants that aided heavily polluted communities.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin suggested that alternative methods could replace the work performed by the dissolved offices without implementing “so-called ‘environmental justice.’”
Jennifer Hadayia, executive director of the nonprofit organization Air Alliance Houston, warned that the decision to eliminate such programs during a period marked by widespread deregulation would exacerbate pollution and health risks in affected communities.
“It’s a leg-up to the polluters,” Hadayia remarked.
“It’s a double-whammy on the communities that are going to bear the burden of that pollution the most.”
4. **Delays and Possible Exemptions for Major Polluters**
One of the major environmental regulatory adjustments made by the Trump administration targets President Biden’s initiative to minimize emissions of hazardous air pollutants from 218 petrochemical facilities, including two situated in Channelview.
The two facilities in question are part of a sprawling 4,000-acre complex owned by LyondellBasell, a leading global chemical corporation.
Data from 2020 indicated these two facilities emitted a staggering total of 770,000 pounds of hazardous substances, including ethylene oxide, known for causing various cancers such as lymphoma and leukemia.
The Biden administration’s regulations proposed to reduce U.S. emissions of ethylene oxide by a remarkable 80%.
The EPA has highlighted that 58% of cancer risk from petrochemical pollution in proximity to neighborhood areas can be attributed to LyondellBasell’s emissions of ethylene oxide.
While the initial Biden regulations were set to enter into force in 2026, the Trump administration has permitted companies to apply for two-year exemptions while they evaluate the rules.
Representatives from two industry trade groups are advocating for an outright exemption from the regulations for all companies impacted by the HON rule.
The White House has not commented on the status of these exemptions, with Sarah Vogel, a senior vice president at the Environmental Defense Fund, critiquing the rollback, stating,
“It’s not like protections are being taken away from you, but…finally the federal government had said, ‘this is unacceptable.’
Now, they’re just going to allow it to continue.”
5. **Rolling Back Limits on Toxic Air Pollutants**
In May, a Congressional action overturned a Biden administration rule that imposed stricter pollution limits on seven hazardous chemicals, including lead and mercury, both of which adversely affect the nervous system.
This legislative change marks a critical milestone as the first time in the 50-year history of the Clean Air Act that Congress has actively weakened protections.
To provide context, a regulation from 1995 mandated any facility classified as a “major source” of pollution to adopt and maintain technology aimed at reducing emissions of 187 specific chemicals even if their output decreased and they were no longer in the “major source” category.
However, the previous Trump administration removed this requirement in 2020, allowing reclassified facilities to shed pollution controls.
The Biden administration reinstated that stipulation for seven of the most harmful air pollutants but only after extensive advocacy from health professionals and environmental groups.
6. **Reassessment of Safety Protocols to Prevent Chemical Incidents**
Current discussions feature ongoing evaluations of regulations established under Barack Obama’s second term that bolstered safety measures for sites handling ultra-hazardous and toxic chemicals.
Critical aspects of these requirements included mandatory third-party audits of safety protocols and independent investigations following incidents.
Under the first Trump administration, these additions to the EPA’s Risk Management Plan rule were annulled, only to be restored alongside new requirements by Biden.
The latter enhancements included demands for companies to create warning systems to alert surrounding communities of hazardous chemical leaks and allowing worker input on preventative strategies related to accidents.
While some of these newly established Biden rules took effect last year, others—such as the analysis of incidents—will be implemented in 2027 or beyond.
The EPA has communicated plans to solicit public comments to commence revisions of these crucial regulations.
Had this regulatory framework been in place during the 2019 fire at Intercontinental Terminals Company, which dispensed clouds of cancer-causing benzene into the air over Channelview, a precautionary approach might have significantly mitigated the chemical exposure risk.
7. **Cancellation of Federal Grants**
A noticeable withdrawal of support emerged with President Trump’s administration cancelling $73 million in federal grants intended for Texas nonprofits and local governments from the Inflation Reduction Act.
This funding aimed to facilitate the development of climate-resilient infrastructure such as solar initiatives, thereby supporting programs aimed at fostering environmental justice communities.
Among the cuts was a $3 million grant meant for Air Alliance Houston, intended to enhance a notification program for Harris County residents regarding new permits or renewals requested by local petrochemical companies.
Such funding would have expanded outreach to Corpus Christi and other localities along the Gulf Coast, amplifying community awareness and participation in environmental governance.
Despite current setbacks, Hadayia maintains an optimistic perspective regarding future federal environmental priorities.
While not prescriptive about when changes may occur, she affirmed that
“Pollution doesn’t know a political party, and administrations change.”
image source from：houstonpublicmedia
