Winter Storm Triggered Nearly 600,000 LBS of Gas Field Air Pollution, State Data Shows
As temps plummeted, the industry self-reported 34 pollution events
AUSTIN, Texas — Industry data reported to the state shows that the weekend’s powerful winter storm triggered 579,000 pounds of additional pollution from 34 gas industry-reported pollution events, according to a Public Citizen review of Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) data.
Public Citizen’s review echoes a separate analysis of industry data from the summer of 2023, which found that extreme heat in West Texas triggered numerous pollution events when high temperatures strained gas field equipment, forcing companies to release pollutants, including volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases. In that heatwave analysis, gas plants, compressor stations, and other facilities accounted for multiple heat-related releases, underscoring how both cold and hot extremes expose weaknesses in fossil fuel systems and harm air quality.
A quarter of the pollution events took place in Martin County, near the state’s border with New Mexico.
“These weather-related emissions are not isolated occurrences,” said Adrian Shelley, Texas director of Public Citizen. “Communities already struggling with health risks are left breathing the consequences when industry equipment fails. Texans deserve policies that both strengthen infrastructure and hold polluters accountable, so damaging weather events aren’t accompanied by poorer air quality. Furthermore, emissions of volatile organic compounds include methane, which contributes to climate change and is a contributing cause of severe winter storms. As extreme weather becomes more frequent and intense, Public Citizen continues to call for stricter rules that reduce preventable pollution and safeguard the community.”
This Public Citizen spreadsheet includes data downloaded from the TCEQ’s State of Texas Emissions Event Reporting System (STEERS) for all events with start dates from January 19 through January 26, 2026. It contains additional fields not automatically included in the agency’s public download, including industry-reported causes and comparisons to applicable emissions rate limits, as well as flags for potential exceedances.
The spreadsheet also codes events to highlight those directly attributed to cold weather and those attributed to gas supply issues, including excess oxygen in gas supply, likely caused by leaking pipelines and supply chain equipment.