"Over the past 30 years, federal and state agencies in Texas have allowed hundreds of oil and chemical barges to amass in a once-tranquil section of the San Jacinto River, just east of Houston. Only about 100 barges were on the six-mile stretch of water in 1990, according to a Public Health Watch analysis of archival satellite imagery. Today, at least 600 crowd the narrow waterway."
"For Houston's refineries, chemical plants and pipeline terminals, the long, lumbering cargo ships are indispensable. They keep products moving on the adjoining Houston Ship Channel, one of the nation's busiest shipping lanes and largest distribution centers for the chemicals used to make plastics and other everyday items. But for the 54,000 residents of Channelview and Highlands - the two Harris County communities that border the San Jacinto River - the growing industry represents danger, not prosperity."
A six-mile stretch of the San Jacinto River has grown from about 100 barges in 1990 to at least 600 today, concentrated just east of Houston. Federal and state actions allowed the accumulation of oil and chemical barges that support refineries, chemical plants and pipelines via the Houston Ship Channel. The barge traffic and operations release substantial volatile organic compounds (VOCs). TCEQ data show loading and unloading of barges and small vessels released 5.1 million pounds of VOCs in 2023, exceeding emissions from Texas' largest single VOC emitter by 28 percent. Local air quality ranks poorly for nearby residents.
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