The Exfluor Case
The Exfluor Case
December 23rd, 2022
NSGA and 9 individuals, with combined 10 issues, were granted a Contested Case Hearing by the TCEQ Commissioners on December 14, 2022. We are now waiting to receive the date for the preliminary hearing.
We again send our profound THANKS to everyone for fighting Exfluor's proposed perfluorocarbon manufacturing plant.
Remember what we are fighting for. The land around 1100 County Road 236 could become a chemical industrial sacrifice zone.
NSGA and the community have succeeded in delaying Exfluor's construction since April 12, 2022. It is probable that the upcoming case hearings will delay Exfluor's construction until December 2023.
While we wish Exfluor would take the hint, withdraw their permit application and move to an appropriate industrial location, it appears from their TCEQ filings that that they will not.
Now we see the true intent of Exfluor. Far from being a good neighbor, their intent is to win at all costs, smash this perfluorocarbon manufacturing plant into our pristine, environmentally fragile, rural, residential neighborhood, even if it means stooping to such trivial levels as challenging the land ownership of our residents, relying on extremely narrow aspects of the air quality permit, pretending that the potential pollution will not travel more than 1/8 mile, while completely disregarding the extreme hazards to the environment, people, animals, crops and livelihood of our community, and the greater downstream watershed of the North Fork of the San Gabriel River.
We are grateful for the broad support from the North San Gabriel Community! We received more than 290 entries on the TCEQ site, opposing the proposed Exfluor specialty chemical manufacturing facility on County Road 236. Our petition received more than 3,300 signatures. We received front page coverage from 3 newspapers, and multiple TV spots. Click here for a brief summary of this effort.
We are succeeding. NSGA asks for your financial support. Lawyers, environmental consultants, website updates and maintenance are expensive. As a Texas non-profit 501(c)(4) organization, all donations are used to support the Purpose of NSGA. We are 100% volunteer managed with no compensation.
Please click here to DONATE NOW.
We will keep you informed regarding this case.
Read more here.
September 13th, 2022
Following the conclusion of the June 16, 2022 Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) public meeting held at Florence High School, TCEQ staff started work on preparing the Response to Comments.
The Response to Comments was released by the TCEQ on September 13.
Click here to see the Response to Comments.
The deadline for an affected person to request a reconsideration, or a contested case hearing, is October 13, 2022.
NORTH SAN GABRIEL ALLIANCE will review the Response to Comments. We await the TCEQ decision regarding our request for a Contested Case Hearing.
We are grateful for the broad support from the North San Gabriel Community! We received more than 290 entries on the TCEQ site, opposing the proposed Exfluor specialty chemical manufacturing facility on County Road 236. Our petition received more than 3,300 signatures. We received front page coverage from 3 newspapers, and multiple TV spots. Click here for a brief summary of this effort.
We will keep you informed regarding this case.
Read more here.
Facts About Hydrogen Fluoride (Hydrofluoric Acid) - Centers of Disease Control and Prevention
- Hydrogen fluoride goes easily and quickly through the skin and into the tissues in the body. There it damages the cells and causes them to not work properly.
- The seriousness of poisoning caused by hydrogen fluoride depends on the amount, route, and length of time of exposure, as well as the age and preexisting medical condition of the person exposed.
- Breathing hydrogen fluoride can damage lung tissue and cause swelling and fluid accumulation in the lungs (pulmonary edema).
- Skin contact with hydrogen fluoride may cause severe burns that develop after several hours and form skin ulcers.
Immediate signs and symptoms of exposure to hydrogen fluoride
- Swallowing only a small amount of highly concentrated hydrogen fluoride will affect major internal organs and may be fatal.
- Hydrogen fluoride gas, even at low levels, can irritate the eyes, nose, and respiratory tract. Breathing in hydrogen fluoride at high levels or in combination with skin contact can cause death from an irregular heartbeat or from fluid buildup in the lungs.
- Even small splashes of high-concentration hydrogen fluoride products on the skin can be fatal. Skin contact with hydrogen fluoride may not cause immediate pain or visible skin damage (signs of exposure).
- Often, patients exposed to low concentrations of hydrogen fluoride on the skin do not show effects or experience pain immediately. And, severe pain at the exposure site may be the only symptom for several hours. Visible damage may not appear until 12 to 24 hours after the exposure.
- Depending on the concentration of the chemical and the length of time of exposure, skin contact with hydrogen fluoride may cause severe pain at the point of contact; a rash; and deep, slow-healing burns. Severe pain can occur even if no burns can be seen.
- Showing these signs and symptoms does not necessarily mean that a person has been exposed to hydrogen fluoride. Other chemicals also can cause these effects.
- Exposure to hydrogen fluoride can result in severe electrolyte problems.
SOURCE: CDC Advisory
ISSUE: Exfluor Research Corporation is one Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) Air Quality Permit approval away from construction.
Click here to see all of Exfluor's Permit Statuses
Exfluor Research Corporation uses fluorine gas to convert hydrocarbons to fluorocarbons.
In the Notice for this proposed facility Exfluor states: “The proposed facility will emit the following contaminants: hydrogen fluorides, carbon monoxide, hazardous air pollutants, nitrogen oxides and organic compounds.”
The manufacturing process is dangerous and has produced documented leaks at other facilities. Many of these manufactured fluorocarbon compounds are referred to as “forever chemicals” because they do not degrade in nature.
JUNE 15, 2022. “Agency officials assessed two of the most common ones, known as PFOA and PFOS, in recent human health studies and announced Wednesday that lifetime exposure at staggeringly low levels of 0.004 and 0.02 parts per trillion, respectively, can compromise the immune and cardiovascular systems and are linked to decreased birth weights.”
EPA'S LIFETIME HEALTH ADVISORIES ALSO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT OTHER POTENTIAL SOURCES OF EXPOSURE TO THESE PFAS BEYOND DRINKING WATER (FOR EXAMPLE, FOOD, *AIR*, CONSUMER PRODUCTS, ETC.), WHICH PROVIDES AN ADDITIONAL LAYER OF PROTECTION.
In June 2017, the discharge of GenX and other PFAS directly into the Cape Fear River by a Chemours chemical plant became public knowledge when the Wilmington Star News broke the story of the widespread contamination. Wells miles away —upriver but downwind — had also been contaminated when PFAS emitted into the air fell back to earth in rainwater.
The pending Exfluor Research Corporation location on County Road 236 is surrounded by 150+ family residences, including historical farms, ranches, and homes, water recreation areas, agricultural lands, and wildlife conservation areas.
Substantial cattle ranches are nearby. Commercial beekeepers operate within one-quarter mile of this site.
The North Fork of the San Gabriel River runs through the area, and downstream to Lake Georgetown and Lake Granger, then into the Brazos River and on to the Gulf of Mexico.
The City of Georgetown and the City of Round Rock obtain drinking water from Lake Georgetown.
AIR POLLUTION BECOMES WATER AND FOOD POLLUTION
While drinking water is believed to be the highest risk for exposure, PFAS can be found in some foods and in the environment, so Public Health encourages residents to take steps to reduce exposure to PFOA and PFOS compounds as much as possible. Some examples may include:
If you live near known sources of PFAS contamination or your drinking water contains PFAS above the EPA health advisory levels, you may want to use a different water source or filter your water before drinking, cooking, and preparing infant formula.
Learn more about private testing and filtration options. Boiling water does not remove PFAS.
Reduce your use of products containing PFAS (packaged foods, products with non-stick or stain resistant coatings, and some personal care products). If you have questions about the products you use in your home, contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission at (800) 638-2772.
Additional actionable steps can be found at epa.gov.
Toxic chemical pollution from Exfluor Research Corporation could permanently affect people, homes, land, and agriculture
nearby, as well as downstream in the river drainages.
More than 3,300 people have signed a petition against this Exfluor facility.
TCEQ has received more than 290 comments against this Exfluor facility.
PUBLICITY. Opposition to the proposed Exfluor plant has received front-page coverage from three newspapers, along with coverage in several TV news segments.
The TV news segments have video footage from the Exfluor 2014 toxic gas leak. Click here to read about other known Exfluor Leaks.
Letters from Elected Officials
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TEXAS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MEMBER TERRY M. WILSON'S LETTER TO THE TCEQ REQUESTING A PUBLIC MEETING FOR PROPOSED AIR PERMIT FOR EXFLUOR!
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TEXAS STATE SENATOR CHARLES SCHWERTNER'S LETTER TO THE TCEQ REQUESTING A PUBLIC MEETING FOR PROPOSED AIR PERMIT FOR EXFLUOR!
Photo By: John DoeButton -
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WILLIAMSON COUNTY PRECINCT TWO COMMISSIONER CYNTHIA LONG'S LETTER TO THE TCEQ
Photo By: John DoeButton
Fire is a serious threat to rural structures.
The Exfluor site on County Road 236 would contain explosive chemicals. A fire could be catastrophic, and the toxic plume could extend for miles.
July 26, 2022
San Gabriel Wildfire east of Liberty Hill in Williamson County burned 451 acres.
While the room was filled with neighbors, most of them against the facility, only a relative handful made their opinions known. However, some of those opinions came with roaring applause.
"I just have to wonder why, why would you go through all that trouble? Why would you not build in an industrial park?"
The crowd applauded loudly before Exfluor executives could answer.
"It felt like the responsible thing to do, because of the business that we're in, is to locate ourselves in an area where there's a buffer between us and population centers," Kevin Bierschenk, the Head of Production for Exfluor, said.
Most of the crowd laughed or booed in response.
“Continue to defend this community.”
AIR QUALITY. These chemicals are serious and forever. They can escape into the air and then fall back to earth in rainwater, affecting drinking water, the local environment, and agriculture. Any gas discharge could easily
impact the nearby family homes. Wildfires are common in the area. Plumes from a chemical fire or explosion could travel very long distances.
COUNTY ROAD 236 IS NOT A SPECIALTY CHEMICAL MANUFACTURING AREA. Exfluor’s chemical manufacturing should take place in an industrial park served by adequate power, natural gas, water supplies, sewer, roadways, law enforcement, and emergency responders.
POWER OUTAGES ARE COMMON. While Exfluor may be planning on backup diesel-powered generators, what happens when water wells are not functioning? What happens to critical manufacturing and chemical waste filtration systems when power fluctuates?
POTENTIAL FOR A CHEMICAL AND INDUSTRIAL SUPER SITE. Exfluor’s 48-acre site has enough land for other chemical companies and suppliers to build additional facilities, possibly creating a chemical and industrial super site. The anticipated number of passenger vehicles, delivery trucks, and tanker trucks which could pour into this area could generate congestion, vehicle accidents, and increased calls to the Sheriff's Department, in addition to increased risk of chemical spills, fires and explosions.
“Continue to defend this community.”
✓ ANY SPILLS AT THE EXFLUOR FACILITY COULD WASH INTO THE WATERSHED OF THE NORTH FORK OF THE SAN GABRIEL RIVER.
✓ STOP THIS CHEMICAL MANUFACTURER FROM FORCING ITS WAY INTO A RESIDENTIAL AND AGRICULTURAL AREA, AFFECTING THE HEALTH AND LIVELIHOOD OF THE FAMILIES WHO LIVE HERE.
✓ TAKE ACTION. REMAIN INVOLVED. IF YOU DO NOT, IMAGINE A CHEMICAL INDUSTRIAL SUPER SITE IN OUR COMMUNITY.
TAKE ACTION NOW ⤵
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