The Northside refinery is seeking to renew its air quality permit for another five years, a process that state regulators say does not require a public hearing despite two documented emissions violations in the current permit period.
Residents of the surrounding neighborhood, where asthma hospitalization rates run nearly double the county average, learned of the renewal window through a legal notice buried in a newspaper's classified section, as required by statute but rarely read.
State environmental officials confirmed the violations, both tied to a 2025 equipment failure, were resolved with a fine well below the statutory maximum. A hearing can be requested by petition, officials said, but none has been filed.
Groundwork is tracking the public comment period, which closes September 12.