EPA tells 2 more companies to bypass Texas for refinery air permits, go directly through feds

EPA tells 2 more to bypass Texas air permitting

HOUSTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has told two more companies to bypass Texas and apply directly to the federal government for clean-air permits for refineries.

The EPA sent a letter Tuesday to ChevronPhillips and Garland Power & Light, a utility in north Texas. It says the companies have until Sept. 30 to reapply for the permits directly with the federal agency.

The EPA rejected 40 permits issued by Texas late last year, saying the state’s process violates the federal Clean Air Act. The agency first barred Texas from issuing an operating permit to a refinery last month. It said it would take the step for dozens more plants.

It’s all part of a long-running dispute over how Texas issues permits stipulating how companies should measure pollution from petrochemical plants.