Petrochemical Plant Expansion in Texas Disproportionately Affects Communities of Color and Low-Income Areas
A report by Texas Southern University reveals that 82 out of 89 proposed petrochemical plants in Texas are planned near communities of color or poorer areas, many already burdened by toxic pollution. Nearly half of these projects are in some of the worst regions nationally for toxic air releases, raising environmental justice concerns. The EPA's EJScreen tool, once used to highlight these inequities, has been taken down by the Trump administration, limiting updated data availability.
The report from Texas Southern University, led by Robert Bullard, a leading figure in environmental justice, analyzed 89 proposed petrochemical projects across Texas and found that 82 would be located in communities with disproportionately higher populations of people of color or poverty levels than the state average. Many of these areas are already heavily polluted, with nearly half ranking among the worst nationally for toxic air releases. Additionally, nine in ten of the proposed facilities would be built near other high-risk chemical plants, exacerbating existing environmental and health risks. From 2021 to 2023, Texas led the nation in hazardous chemical incidents, including fires and toxic releases. Researchers utilized EJScreen, an EPA-developed mapping tool combining data on pollution and demographics to identify vulnerable communities; however, the Trump administration removed this tool earlier in 2025, and while advocacy groups have maintained copies online and are suing the EPA, government-supplied data updating has ceased. This expansion highlights ongoing environmental justice issues, with petrochemical industries continuing to disproportionately burden communities of color and low-income residents, signaling a failure to address systemic inequities in industrial pollution placement and public health protection.
