HOUSTON — Houston is also known as the "Energy Capital of the World."
Also, almost 50% of the nation's petrochemical capacity is produced along the Houston Ship Channel.
While the industry is a major source of employment and benefits the economy, a new story by a local nonprofit claims they are polluting the air we breathe.
Air Alliance Houston calls them the "Dirty Dozen" -- the top 12 industrial air polluters and contributors to climate change.
In Harris County, Air Alliance Houston is a nonprofit advocacy organization that focuses solely on air quality.
It used public data, including statistics from the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, in its latest report.
They said they found out that out of more than 300 facilities, ExxonMobil's Baytown facility had the most emissions, with significant releases of carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.
Coming in a close second was LyondellBassell's Channelview facility, which accounted for the region's biggest source of ethylene oxide, a known carcinogen, according to the report.
In third was Chevron Phillips' Baytown facility.
Air Alliance Houston said the three facilities account for 60% of the chemical releases in Harris County.
But, there are others on the map that add to the problem.
Atascocita recycling and McCarty Road landfill were found to be the highest emitters of methane in Harris County.
Air Alliance Houston Executive Director Jennifer Hadayia said the emissions don't just impact the nearby communities, it affects the entire Houston area.
"Curtailing air pollution has never been more urgent as storms like the derecho and Hurricane Beryl -- Beryl threw out neighborhoods we've never seen before -- due to the impacts of climate change," Hadayia said. "We know that what pollutes the air also warms the climate. So, to reign in climate impacts, we must reign in air polluters."
Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee recently called on state legislators and regulators to push TCEQ to change its quality standards and align with federal environmental standards.
We're waiting to hear back from LyondellBassel.
ExxonMobil issued this statement:
"Being a good neighbor is our priority. We’re focused on reducing emissions from our manufacturing sites, improving air quality in our communities and helping protect the environment.
"Our Baytown complex has three world-scale industrial plants: a refinery, an olefins plant and a chemical plant. Each operates under its own air and water permits and complies with applicable regulations. Air Alliance Houston’s report combines numbers from these facilities, and the data isn’t normalized for size or scale."
Chevron Phillips Chemical issued this statement:
"Chevron Phillips Chemical is committed to responsible operation of our facilities and to continuous improvement of our environmental performance. We continue to take action to reduce air emissions through installation of flare gas recovery equipment, flaring reduction initiatives and strengthening the reliability of our assets. We are also working to reduce greenhouse gas emissions intensity by sourcing greater amounts of renewable energy, improving energy efficiencies and exploring a myriad of sustainably conscious innovations and technologies at our manufacturing facilities."
The East Harris County Manufacturers Association issued this statement:
"The East Harris County Manufacturers Association supports science-based monitoring to assess issues, maintain accountability, and inform good public policy. A factual assessment of air monitoring data requires unbiased analysis. The report published by Air Alliance Houston takes complex air monitoring data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and leaves out important facts and details that give context to air quality in the greater Houston area.
"As an industry, we strive for continual environmental stewardship in the communities where we live and operate, seeking to be a positive force in the lives of our employees, consumers, and neighbors. Texas’ petrochemical industry is the largest in the country, supporting more than 100,000 direct jobs and over 500,000 related jobs and generating $1.3 billion in state and local tax revenues.
"EHCMA and our members are committed to helping protect our employees and communities while continuing to provide the essential and innovative products and materials made possible by the petrochemical industry in East Harris County. In fact, industry in East Harris County is a world leader in emissions reductions. Since 2001, petrochemical manufacturers in the greater Houston area have invested over $10 billion to reduce nitrogen dioxide (NOx) emissions by more than 80%."