Companies in Texas Exploit ‘Loopholes,’ Attribute 1 Million Pounds of Air Pollution to Recent Freezing Weather

Legal exemptions provide flexibility for what counts as excusable, “unintentional” emissions, but federal regulators have taken small steps to tighten the rules

Frigid weather this month caused industrial facilities across Texas to release unplanned air pollution as machinery froze, power went out and icy conditions blocked service crews.