Putting People Before Permits Along the Texas Gulf Coast
What WeBreathe
Direct Support
Industrial facilities continue to expand across the Texas Gulf Coast, often approved with little public awareness and even less public input. By making the permitting process more transparent and accessible, Air Alliance Houston’s AirMail program gives communities earlier notice, greater participation, and a better chance to influence decisions before pollution becomes inevitable.
Overview
Drivers of Outrage
The Greater Houston Area is known as the "Energy Capital of the World," and it is also one of the nation's most pollution-burdened regions. The reasons for both are deeply connected: decades of industrial expansion and a regulatory system that has long favored permitting over human health. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) has described itself as a "reluctant regulator," while communities…
397sources of air toxics
Houston/Harris County is home to 397 industrial facilities reporting toxic air emissions.
EPA, Toxic Release Inventory, 2024
20+Year Life Expectancy Gap
There is a 20+ year gap in life expectancy between Houston’s east side (communities of color and lower wealth) and west side (wealthier and whiter).
Houston Chronicle, 2023
43high-ozone days per year
From 2022 to 2024, the Houston-Pasadena, TX area experienced a weighted average of 43.3 high-ozone days per year.
American Lung Association
397sources of air toxics
Houston/Harris County is home to 397 industrial facilities reporting toxic air emissions.
EPA, Toxic Release Inventory, 2024
20+Year Life Expectancy Gap
There is a 20+ year gap in life expectancy between Houston’s east side (communities of color and lower wealth) and west side (wealthier and whiter).
Houston Chronicle, 2023
43high-ozone days per year
From 2022 to 2024, the Houston-Pasadena, TX area experienced a weighted average of 43.3 high-ozone days per year.
American Lung Association
Funding the Action
Since launching in 2022, AirMail has helped communities across the Texas Gulf Coast participate more effectively in environmental permitting decisions. The platform has expanded into multiple counties, mobilized public comments and permit hearings, and supported community efforts to challenge proposed industrial developments. In 2025, this work earned an EPA Community Change Grant to expand AirMail across the Texas Gulf Coast. That momentum was interrupted in 2026 when the EPA canceled the grant, leaving the planned expansion without federal support. Campaign contributions will help sustain AirMail's operations, continue expanding the platform across the Gulf Coast, and ensure more communities have timely permit alerts and accessible tools to participate in decisions that affect the air they breathe.
Potential Outcomes
With sustained funding, AirMail can continue expanding access to public participation at a time when industrial permitting is accelerating and environmental safeguards are weakening. More communities will have earlier notice of proposed facilities, more opportunities to engage in the permitting process, and greater capacity to organize around projects that could affect local air quality. Success is both…
The Bigger Picture
Timeline
Air Alliance Houston
Air Alliance Houston (AAH) is a nonprofit environmental justice organization dedicated to reducing the public health impacts of air pollution and advancing clean air policies across the Houston region. Since 1994, AAH has partnered with communities, researchers, and advocates to improve air quality through education, organizing, policy advocacy, and community-based solutions. AirMail is one of the…