Texas is a major global hub for the petrochemical industry, leading the U.S. in refining capacity and production, with the Greater Houston area accounting for over 42% of the nation's base capacity. This industrial concentration disproportionately impacts fenceline communities—often low-income communities of color—who bear increased health and environmental risks due to facility expansions, which are frequently approved by the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality despite public resistance. This pattern reflects environmental injustice, a central concern of the environmental justice movement, as the state lacks a comprehensive environmental justice screening tool or policy to identify and mitigate these inequities, exacerbating burdens on vulnerable communities and hindering decarbonization efforts while industry profits surge.
