HOUSTON — Some Houstonians voiced their concerns Thursday about a petrochemical facility applying to renew its permit.
TPC Group, the petrochemical facility on Park Place Boulevard, has been operating in southeast Houston for 80 years. It's now in the process of applying to renew its permit to operate with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), but residents are not too happy about this.
They are concerned about how the company is going to prevent explosions like the two that happened at the plant's Port Neches, Texas facility in 2019.
According to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board, it was a pipe that was poorly managed that caused the explosion in Port Neches.
During the meeting on Thursday, residents wanted to know how the facility in southeast Houston was going to manage its pipes to prevent a similar incident.
Other big issues for residents were flaring, emissions and possible health hazards coming from the facility.
Diamond Pham said she has lived near the facility all her life. Her mom died of lung cancer, so she's hoping her and other residents' concerns were heard.
"I do wish they had more regulations," Pham said. "They already break them."
Thursday was the deadline for public comment.
TCEQ said they will consider residents' concerns about the permits.