<!DOCTYPE html><html lang="en"><head><link href="https://assets.democracynow.org" rel="dns-prefetch" /><link href="https://publish.dvlabs.com" rel="dns-prefetch" /><title>As Catastrophic Flooding Hits Houston, Fears Grow of Pollution from Oil Refineries &amp; Superfund Sites | Democracy Now!</title><link rel="stylesheet" media="all" href="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/application-14b943374e352e60fba563959162c4795c4315147acaf41e995d56c60834a8e1.css" /><script src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/application-3a5c67dad110b2f3aaa5b55387346304de68eed388ee3be770d5772599db9f67.js" async="async"></script><script>(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');

ga('create', 'UA-57393677-1', { 'cookieDomain': 'democracynow.org' });
ga('send', 'pageview');</script><script>var clicky_site_ids = clicky_site_ids || [];
clicky_site_ids.push(236902);
(function() {
  var s = document.createElement('script');
  s.type = 'text/javascript';
  s.async = true;
  s.src = '//static.getclicky.com/js';
  ( document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0] ).appendChild( s );
})();</script><meta content="As Catastrophic Flooding Hits Houston, Fears Grow of Pollution from Oil Refineries &amp; Superfund Sites" property="og:title" /><meta content="A catastrophic storm has hit Houston, the nation’s fourth-largest city and home to the largest refining and petrochemical complex in the United States. The crisis began on Friday when Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport, Texas. It was the most powerful hurricane to strike the state in more than 50 years. Much of the damage has been caused by the massive rainfall, with parts of Texas already receiving 30 inches of rain. That could top 50 inches in the coming days. Entire highways in Houston are now underwater. The storm has caused five reported deaths, but the death toll is expected to rise. Thousands of people are still stranded in their homes, waiting to be rescued. Meanwhile, the city of Dallas prepares to turn its convention center into a mega-shelter to host 5,000 evacuees. The National Weather Service released a statement on Sunday saying, “This event is unprecedented and all impacts are unknown and beyond anything experienced.” We speak with Bryan Parras, an organizer for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston, Texas. He helped found the environmental justice group t.e.j.a.s." property="og:description" /><meta content="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/72/38272/full_hd/S1_smoke-crop1.jpg" property="og:image" /><meta content="article" property="og:type" /><meta content="https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears" property="og:url" /><meta content="Democracy Now!" property="og:site_name" /><meta content="summary_large_image" name="twitter:card" /><meta content="@democracynow" name="twitter:site" /><link href="/search/opensearch.xml" rel="search" title="Democracy Now! Search" type="application/opensearchdescription+xml" /><meta name="csrf-param" content="authenticity_token" />
<meta name="csrf-token" content="zWGJscM3boYgIuIth/T8GbI0a46XA9TbltgX46e0s32U9rhhdYugWm/EupKZM2oNPfYCk8RzbtcGpQdCpLwpew==" /><meta content="text/html; charset=utf-8" http-equiv="Content-Type" />
<script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={});NREUM.info={"beacon":"bam.nr-data.net","errorBeacon":"bam.nr-data.net","licenseKey":"675b32802f","applicationID":"11193475","transactionName":"cQoKRkNaWlxUShkVR10XDVdCGkVYXk8=","queueTime":0,"applicationTime":446,"agent":""}</script>
<script type="text/javascript">window.NREUM||(NREUM={}),__nr_require=function(e,t,n){function r(n){if(!t[n]){var o=t[n]={exports:{}};e[n][0].call(o.exports,function(t){var o=e[n][1][t];return r(o||t)},o,o.exports)}return t[n].exports}if("function"==typeof __nr_require)return __nr_require;for(var o=0;o<n.length;o++)r(n[o]);return r}({1:[function(e,t,n){function r(){}function o(e,t,n){return function(){return i(e,[f.now()].concat(u(arguments)),t?null:this,n),t?void 0:this}}var i=e("handle"),a=e(2),u=e(3),c=e("ee").get("tracer"),f=e("loader"),s=NREUM;"undefined"==typeof window.newrelic&&(newrelic=s);var p=["setPageViewName","setCustomAttribute","setErrorHandler","finished","addToTrace","inlineHit","addRelease"],d="api-",l=d+"ixn-";a(p,function(e,t){s[t]=o(d+t,!0,"api")}),s.addPageAction=o(d+"addPageAction",!0),s.setCurrentRouteName=o(d+"routeName",!0),t.exports=newrelic,s.interaction=function(){return(new r).get()};var m=r.prototype={createTracer:function(e,t){var n={},r=this,o="function"==typeof t;return i(l+"tracer",[f.now(),e,n],r),function(){if(c.emit((o?"":"no-")+"fn-start",[f.now(),r,o],n),o)try{return t.apply(this,arguments)}catch(e){throw c.emit("fn-err",[arguments,this,e],n),e}finally{c.emit("fn-end",[f.now()],n)}}}};a("setName,setAttribute,save,ignore,onEnd,getContext,end,get".split(","),function(e,t){m[t]=o(l+t)}),newrelic.noticeError=function(e){"string"==typeof e&&(e=new Error(e)),i("err",[e,f.now()])}},{}],2:[function(e,t,n){function r(e,t){var n=[],r="",i=0;for(r in e)o.call(e,r)&&(n[i]=t(r,e[r]),i+=1);return n}var o=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;t.exports=r},{}],3:[function(e,t,n){function r(e,t,n){t||(t=0),"undefined"==typeof n&&(n=e?e.length:0);for(var r=-1,o=n-t||0,i=Array(o<0?0:o);++r<o;)i[r]=e[t+r];return i}t.exports=r},{}],4:[function(e,t,n){t.exports={exists:"undefined"!=typeof window.performance&&window.performance.timing&&"undefined"!=typeof window.performance.timing.navigationStart}},{}],ee:[function(e,t,n){function r(){}function o(e){function t(e){return e&&e instanceof r?e:e?c(e,u,i):i()}function n(n,r,o,i){if(!d.aborted||i){e&&e(n,r,o);for(var a=t(o),u=m(n),c=u.length,f=0;f<c;f++)u[f].apply(a,r);var p=s[y[n]];return p&&p.push([b,n,r,a]),a}}function l(e,t){v[e]=m(e).concat(t)}function m(e){return v[e]||[]}function w(e){return p[e]=p[e]||o(n)}function g(e,t){f(e,function(e,n){t=t||"feature",y[n]=t,t in s||(s[t]=[])})}var v={},y={},b={on:l,emit:n,get:w,listeners:m,context:t,buffer:g,abort:a,aborted:!1};return b}function i(){return new r}function a(){(s.api||s.feature)&&(d.aborted=!0,s=d.backlog={})}var u="nr@context",c=e("gos"),f=e(2),s={},p={},d=t.exports=o();d.backlog=s},{}],gos:[function(e,t,n){function r(e,t,n){if(o.call(e,t))return e[t];var r=n();if(Object.defineProperty&&Object.keys)try{return Object.defineProperty(e,t,{value:r,writable:!0,enumerable:!1}),r}catch(i){}return e[t]=r,r}var o=Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty;t.exports=r},{}],handle:[function(e,t,n){function r(e,t,n,r){o.buffer([e],r),o.emit(e,t,n)}var o=e("ee").get("handle");t.exports=r,r.ee=o},{}],id:[function(e,t,n){function r(e){var t=typeof e;return!e||"object"!==t&&"function"!==t?-1:e===window?0:a(e,i,function(){return o++})}var o=1,i="nr@id",a=e("gos");t.exports=r},{}],loader:[function(e,t,n){function r(){if(!x++){var e=h.info=NREUM.info,t=d.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];if(setTimeout(s.abort,3e4),!(e&&e.licenseKey&&e.applicationID&&t))return s.abort();f(y,function(t,n){e[t]||(e[t]=n)}),c("mark",["onload",a()+h.offset],null,"api");var n=d.createElement("script");n.src="https://"+e.agent,t.parentNode.insertBefore(n,t)}}function o(){"complete"===d.readyState&&i()}function i(){c("mark",["domContent",a()+h.offset],null,"api")}function a(){return E.exists&&performance.now?Math.round(performance.now()):(u=Math.max((new Date).getTime(),u))-h.offset}var u=(new Date).getTime(),c=e("handle"),f=e(2),s=e("ee"),p=window,d=p.document,l="addEventListener",m="attachEvent",w=p.XMLHttpRequest,g=w&&w.prototype;NREUM.o={ST:setTimeout,SI:p.setImmediate,CT:clearTimeout,XHR:w,REQ:p.Request,EV:p.Event,PR:p.Promise,MO:p.MutationObserver};var v=""+location,y={beacon:"bam.nr-data.net",errorBeacon:"bam.nr-data.net",agent:"js-agent.newrelic.com/nr-1071.min.js"},b=w&&g&&g[l]&&!/CriOS/.test(navigator.userAgent),h=t.exports={offset:u,now:a,origin:v,features:{},xhrWrappable:b};e(1),d[l]?(d[l]("DOMContentLoaded",i,!1),p[l]("load",r,!1)):(d[m]("onreadystatechange",o),p[m]("onload",r)),c("mark",["firstbyte",u],null,"api");var x=0,E=e(4)},{}]},{},["loader"]);</script><meta content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" name="viewport" /><meta content="#191f24" name="theme-color" /><link href="https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears" rel="canonical" /></head><body class="stories_controller show_action"><div class="body_wrapper"><div data-campaign-code="sp-20180214-spl" data-donation-experiment="" data-url="https://www.democracynow.org/donate" id="campaign_modal"><div id="campaign_modal_wrapper"><div class="campaign_modal_content"><a href="javascript:void(0)" id="continue_to_site"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/modal-close-5ec5cd072a7d7752e6073e5c8761274c67b9287aecead27a7e72cc2f30753d1f.png" alt="Modal close" /></a><div class="configurable_content"><div class="hidden-xs"><h1>Hi there,</h1>
<p>This week, Democracy Now! is celebrating our 22nd birthday. Since our first ever show in February 1996, our daily news hour has brought you fearless journalism and hard-hitting news you can trust. Maybe you rely on our daily headlines. Maybe you come looking for the in-depth stories that expose government and corporate abuses of power. One thing you know you can count on is that Democracy Now! is always free—you'll never hit a paywall. How is this possible? Only with your support. In fact, if everyone reading this gave just $4, it would cover our operating expenses for the whole year. <span class='plea'><strong>Right now, a generous donor will TRIPLE every donation, meaning your gift today will go three times as far. Pretty amazing, right?</strong></span> Please do your part. Take a moment to give right now for our  22nd birthday.</p></div><div class="visible-xs"><h1>Hi there,</h1>
<p>This week, Democracy Now! is celebrating our 22nd birthday. Since our first show in February 1996, our daily news hour has brought you fearless journalism and hard-hitting news you can trust--all without ads or corporate underwriting. How is this possible? Only with your support. In fact, if everyone reading this gave just $4, it would cover our operating expenses for the whole year. <span class='plea'><strong>Right now, a generous donor will TRIPLE every donation, meaning your gift today will go three times as far. Pretty amazing, right?</strong></span> Please do your part. Take a moment to give right now for our 22nd birthday.</p></div></div><div class="variant_content"><h1>Non-commercial news needs your support.</h1><p>We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.</p><p><strong>Please do your part today.</strong></p></div></div><a class="button_blue visible-xs" data-ga-action="Mobile Campaign Modal: Donate" href="javascript:void(0)" id="mobile_donate_button">Donate</a><div class="footer hidden-xs"><div class="select_menu"><input type="radio" name="donate_select" id="donate_0" value="4" /><label for="donate_0">$4</label><input type="radio" name="donate_select" id="donate_1" value="12" checked="checked" /><label for="donate_1">$12</label><input type="radio" name="donate_select" id="donate_2" value="22" /><label for="donate_2">$22</label><input type="radio" name="donate_select" id="donate_3" value="60" /><label for="donate_3">$60</label><input type="radio" name="donate_select" id="donate_4" value="100" /><label for="donate_4">$100</label><input type="radio" name="donate_select" id="donate_other" value="" /><label for="donate_other">Other</label></div><div class="amount_row">Your donation</div><div id="donation_flow"><div class="donation_amount"><label for="donate_amount">$</label><input type="number" name="donation_amount" id="donate_amount" value="12" min="1" step="any" /><label class="frequency_label" for="donate_amount"></label></div><div class="donation_frequency"><span><input type="radio" name="flow_type_select" id="splash_donate_one_time" value="one_time" checked="checked" /><label id="one_time_label" for="splash_donate_one_time">One-Time</label></span><span><input type="radio" name="flow_type_select" id="splash_donate_monthly" value="monthly" /><label id="monthly_label" for="splash_donate_monthly">Monthly</label></span></div><a class="button_blue" data-ga-action="Campaign Modal: Donate" href="javascript:void(0)" id="donate_button">Donate</a></div><div style="clear:both;"></div></div></div></div><header><div class="container-fluid visible-lg-block"><a class="logo" data-ga-action="Header: Logo" href="/"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/logo_for_dark_background-ddcf4f045c365d80e51ecc5cd22d663185032b6b2919d27bd240035d017638f7.png" alt="Logo for dark background" /></a><div class="nav_container"><span class="tagline">Independent Global News</span><nav class="secondary_nav"><a data-ga-action="Header: About" class="hidden-xs" href="/about">About</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Subscribe" class="hidden-xs" href="/subscribe">Daily Digest</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Events" class="hidden-xs" href="/events">Events</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Stations" class="hidden-xs" href="/stations">Stations</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Español" class="hidden-xs" href="/es">Español</a><a class="donate_mobile button_blue hidden-lg" data-ga-action="Header: Donate" href="https://www.democracynow.org/donate">Donate</a></nav><div class="primary_nav_container"><ul class="primary_nav"><li class="dropdown" data-content="daily_shows_content"><a data-ga-action="Header: Daily Shows" href="/shows">Daily Shows</a><div class="expand_menu"><img class="dropdown_arrow" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/chevron-down-cc42e0e5aef921b2e30a8c6a05bcc7eb2576fac0dc696804ee6d3d5179673cb6.png" alt="Chevron down" /><div class="dropdown_content" id="daily_shows_content"><div class="padding"></div><div class="arrow"></div><div class="show_container"><a data-ga-action="Header: Show" href="/shows/2018/2/16">Friday,<br>February 16, 2018</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Show" href="/shows/2018/2/15">Thursday,<br>February 15, 2018</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Show" href="/shows/2018/2/14">Wednesday,<br>February 14, 2018</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Show" href="/shows/2018/2/13">Tuesday,<br>February 13, 2018</a></div><a class="browse button_dark" data-ga-action="Header: Show Archive" href="/shows">Show Archive</a></div></div></li><li class="dropdown" data-content="top_stories_content">Top Stories<div class="expand_menu"><img class="dropdown_arrow" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/chevron-down-cc42e0e5aef921b2e30a8c6a05bcc7eb2576fac0dc696804ee6d3d5179673cb6.png" alt="Chevron down" /><div class="dropdown_content stories" id="top_stories_content"><div class="padding"></div><div class="arrow"></div><ul><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">Feb 16, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/16/trump_blames_mental_illness_for_parkland">Trump Blames Mental Illness for Parkland Shooting, Ignores Easy Gun Access &amp; Loose Background Checks</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/16/trump_blames_mental_illness_for_parkland"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/33/40833/w320/_S1_Trump-mental-illness-guns.jpg" alt=" s1 trump mental illness guns" /></picture></a></li><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">Feb 16, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/16/white_supremacy_patriarchy_and_guns_fl">White Supremacy, Patriarchy and Guns: FL Shooter Had Record of Death Threats, Violence Against Women</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/16/white_supremacy_patriarchy_and_guns_fl"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/34/40834/w320/_S2_mass-shootings-patriarchy-racism.jpg" alt=" s2 mass shootings patriarchy racism" /></picture></a></li><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">Feb 16, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/16/cyril_ramaphosa_south_africas_new_president">Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa&#8217;s New President, Known for Moving Profits to Offshore Tax Havens</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/16/cyril_ramaphosa_south_africas_new_president"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/35/40835/w320/_S3_South-Africa-Ramaphosa.jpg" alt=" s3 south africa ramaphosa" /></picture></a></li><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">Feb 15, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/15/when_will_this_stop_17_shot">When Will This Stop? 17 Shot Dead in Florida School Massacre, the 18th School Shooting of Year</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Top Story" href="/2018/2/15/when_will_this_stop_17_shot"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/02/40802/w320/FL-Kids-Line.jpg" alt="Fl kids line" /></picture></a></li></ul></div></div></li><li class="dropdown" data-content="web_exclusives_content"><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusives" href="/categories/web_exclusive">Web Exclusives</a><div class="expand_menu"><img class="dropdown_arrow" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/chevron-down-cc42e0e5aef921b2e30a8c6a05bcc7eb2576fac0dc696804ee6d3d5179673cb6.png" alt="Chevron down" /><div class="dropdown_content stories" id="web_exclusives_content"><div class="padding"></div><div class="arrow"></div><ul><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Web Exclusive</span><span class="date">Feb 14, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/14/v_day_special_global_activists_on">V-Day Special: Global Activists on Their 20-Year Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/14/v_day_special_global_activists_on"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/blog_posts/00/40800/w320/_S5_V-Day-20th-anniversary.jpg" alt=" s5 v day 20th anniversary" /></picture></a></li><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><span class="label">Web Exclusive</span><span class="date">Feb 09, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/9/ravi_ragbir_wins_stay_of_deportation">Ravi Ragbir Wins Stay of Deportation After Filing Free Speech Suit Over Being Targeted for Activism</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/9/ravi_ragbir_wins_stay_of_deportation"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/blog_posts/35/40735/w320/raviragbir-amygottlieb.jpg" alt="Raviragbir amygottlieb" /></picture></a></li><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Web Exclusive</span><span class="date">Feb 05, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/5/dr_harry_edwards_its_absolutely_despicable">Dr. Harry Edwards: It&#8217;s Despicable for Dodge to Use MLK&#8217;s Words to Peddle Trucks During Super Bowl</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/5/dr_harry_edwards_its_absolutely_despicable"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/blog_posts/47/40647/w320/Wx_KingRAM.jpg" alt="Wx kingram" /></picture></a></li><li><div class="content"><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Web Exclusive</span><span class="date">Feb 02, 2018</span></div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/2/part_2_johann_hari_on_uncovering">Johann Hari: To Treat Depression, Provide Meaningful Work, Housing &amp; a Basic Income, Not Just Drugs</a></div></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusive" href="/2018/2/2/part_2_johann_hari_on_uncovering"><picture><source media="(max-width: 1199px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/blog_posts/25/40625/w320/hari-book-button.jpg" alt="Hari book button" /></picture></a></li></ul><a class="browse button_dark" data-ga-action="Header: Browse Web Exclusives" href="/categories/web_exclusive">Browse Web Exclusives</a></div></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Header: Topics" href="/topics">Topics</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Header: Columns" href="/categories/weekly_column">Columns</a></li></ul><div class="search_bar"><form action="/search" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="get"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="&#x2713;" /><label for="query"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/search-eadf62e3090519bef47349443f81f6f8b410aeb02d503d36de01aeced088caee.png" alt="Search" /><input type="text" name="query" id="query" value="" placeholder="Search" data-ga-action="Header: Search" /></label></form></div></div></div><a class="donate button_blue" data-ga-action="Header: Donate" href="/donate">Donate</a></div><div class="hidden-lg"><div class="nav_container"><div class="container-fluid"><span class="tagline">Independent Global News</span><nav class="secondary_nav"><a data-ga-action="Header: About" class="hidden-xs" href="/about">About</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Subscribe" class="hidden-xs" href="/subscribe">Daily Digest</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Events" class="hidden-xs" href="/events">Events</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Stations" class="hidden-xs" href="/stations">Stations</a><a data-ga-action="Header: Español" class="hidden-xs" href="/es">Español</a><a class="donate_mobile button_blue hidden-lg" data-ga-action="Header: Donate" href="https://www.democracynow.org/donate">Donate</a></nav></div></div><div class="container-fluid sticky_menu"><a class="logo" data-ga-action="Header: Logo" href="/"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/logo_for_dark_background-ddcf4f045c365d80e51ecc5cd22d663185032b6b2919d27bd240035d017638f7.png" alt="Logo for dark background" /></a><img id="print_logo" class="print_only" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/logo2-8566131fa2436fa4d6d18e6997cd58cda60253174a99078c681b6643aa38a558.png" alt="Logo2" /><ul class="primary_nav hidden-xs"><li><a data-ga-action="Header: Daily Shows" href="/shows">Daily Shows</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Header: Web Exclusives" href="/categories/web_exclusive">Web Exclusives</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Header: Topics" href="/topics">Topics</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Header: Columns" href="/categories/weekly_column">Columns</a></li></ul><div id="hamburger_menu"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/hamburger-b990b48358f0d0d6ad29b0a5f38d26fe6c1af59f4f14f208d7b7e391452b8836.png" alt="Hamburger" /><h5>Menu</h5></div></div></div></header><div class="mobile_nav hidden-lg"><div class="off_canvas_container"><h5>Menu</h5><span><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/close_icon-165e3ca4915ab28c8e586fdde6f0de4c41b57ba8472146a08e15ea717c4e12f5.png" alt="Close icon" /></span><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Home" href="/">Home</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Daily Shows" href="/shows">Daily Shows</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Web Exclusives" href="/categories/web_exclusive">Web Exclusives</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Topics" href="/topics">Topics</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Columns" href="/categories/weekly_column">Columns</a></li></ul><div class="search_bar"><form action="/search" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="get"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="&#x2713;" /><label for="mobile_query"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/search_icon_grey-5f01c28fce1453e57110e000615edbca1109c8d39047f9d0004cb9ac1fcbe665.png" alt="Search icon grey" /><input type="text" name="query" id="mobile_query" value="" placeholder="Search" data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Search" /></label></form></div><div class="secondary_links"><h5>Editions</h5><ul class="col-md-6 col-xs-6"><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: English" href="/">English</a></li></ul><ul class="col-md-6 col-xs-6"><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Español" href="/es">Español</a></li></ul><hr /><h5>Follow</h5><ul class="col-md-6 col-xs-6"><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Daily Digest" href="/subscribe">Daily Digest</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: RSS &amp; Podcasts" href="/podcasting">RSS &amp; Podcasts</a></li></ul><ul class="col-md-6 col-xs-6"><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: iOS App" href="http://apple.co/1fyu6Hl">iPhone App</a></li></ul><hr /><h5>Democracy Now!</h5><ul class="col-md-6 col-xs-6"><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: About" href="/about">About</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Events" href="/events">Events</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Contact" href="/contact">Contact</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Stations" href="/stations">Stations</a></li></ul><ul class="col-md-6 col-xs-6"><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Get Involved" href="/get_involved">Get Involved</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Education" href="/education">Education</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Jobs" href="/about/jobs">Jobs</a></li></ul><div class="row"><div class="share_row col-xs-12"><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/facebook-icon-3c8d143780d677b687a4475d2c3cb779e490197741d39181957c5db53c88ed81.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/twitter-icon-0975471f41ff3a2e22eebd5e51c64261f43cf097c629f9fbe9cc21b2e7fed46a.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/youtube-icon-7c6e402a2731a74429d90fff026f844babeef6a7c6b6cad155cc6070dfb8dc1f.png" alt="Youtube icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Instagram" href="http://www.instagram.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/instagram-icon-4f42133a53162c82edd2b742e06dacb7f569cc06ef2e35724dc008d42c2f6313.png" alt="Instagram icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Tumblr" href="http://democracynow.tumblr.com/"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/tumblr-icon-69a0593fee713ee66b168868d8fa134e8f9a293cd0f5ded8aacfc498f206f4ba.png" alt="Tumblr icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Google Plus" href="http://plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow/posts"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/googleplus-icon-e4446df4ed3e41b80eb9e63d1db366ce88079819c7f011c1af629c885f969140.png" alt="Googleplus icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Mobile Header: Snapchat" href="http://www.snapchat.com/add/democracy.now"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/snapchat-icon-1652516164de498fc53811962a2f2778148c21dd272b199c09aba8c2d3dcf5b3.png" alt="Snapchat icon" /></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div></div><div class="container-fluid"><div id="topics_nav"><div class="title">Hot Topics</div><div class="wrapper"><ul><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/gun_control">Gun Control</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/sexual_assault">Sexual Assault</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/immigration">Immigration</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/climate_change">Climate Change</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/honduras">Honduras</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/nuclear_proliferation">Nuclear Weapons</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/puerto_rico">Puerto Rico</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/yemen">Yemen</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/ravi_ragbir">Ravi Ragbir</a></li><li><div class="bullet"></div><a data-ga-action="Header: Hot Topic" href="/topics/sundance_film_festival">Sundance Film Festival</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="container-fluid" id="story_content"><h1>As Catastrophic Flooding Hits Houston, Fears Grow of Pollution from Oil Refineries &amp; Superfund Sites</h1><div class="row"><div class="news_label title col-lg-8 col-sm-8"><div><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">August 28, 2017</span><div class="bullet hidden-xs"></div><a class="hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Story: Watch Full Show" href="/shows/2017/8/28?autostart=true"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/watch-icon-52b3526e27a20ade1b75a8055ed8fd5d47bca5d4b7c9be4dabc14c522f21d91a.png" alt="Watch icon" />Watch Full Show</a></div><div class="story_options visible-xs"><a data-ga-action="Story: Watch Full Show" href="/shows/2017/8/28?autostart=true"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/watch-icon-52b3526e27a20ade1b75a8055ed8fd5d47bca5d4b7c9be4dabc14c522f21d91a.png" alt="Watch icon" />Watch Full Show</a><a data-ga-action="Story: Next Story" href="/2017/8/28/this_is_the_new_normal_inside">Next Story</a></div></div></div><div class="row"><div class="primary_content col-lg-8 col-sm-8" id="story"><div id="story_video_container"><div class="media_player" id="story_video"><script type="text/json">{"video":"https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/dn2017-0828.mp4?end=1872.0","high_res_video":"https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/480/dn2017-0828.mp4?end=1872.0","audio":"https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/audio-m4a/dn2017-0828.m4a?end=1872.0","image":"https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/72/38272/splash/S1_smoke-crop1.jpg","embed_link":"https://www.democracynow.org/embed/story/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears","share_link":"https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears","related_videos_feed":"https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears/related.xml","captions":[{"url":"https://www.democracynow.org/resources/captions/shows/5638/English.vtt","language":"EN"}],"start_time":900.0,"end_time":1872.0,"title":"As Catastrophic Flooding Hits Houston, Fears Grow of Pollution from Oil Refineries \u0026amp; Superfund Sites","locale":"en"}</script></div></div><div class="audio_player_container"><div class="controls" data-player="show_audio"><div class="listen">Listen</div><div class="show_modal" data-modal="#audio_download_modal">Media Options</div></div><div class="player not_visible"><div class="listen_label">Listen</div><hr /><div class="audio_player" id="show_audio"><script type="text/json">{"video":"https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/dn2017-0828.mp4?end=1872.0","high_res_video":"https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/480/dn2017-0828.mp4?end=1872.0","audio":"https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/audio-m4a/dn2017-0828.m4a?end=1872.0","image":"https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/72/38272/splash/S1_smoke-crop1.jpg","embed_link":"https://www.democracynow.org/embed/story/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears","share_link":"https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears","related_videos_feed":"https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears/related.xml","captions":[{"url":"https://www.democracynow.org/resources/captions/shows/5638/English.vtt","language":"EN"}],"start_time":900.0,"end_time":1872.0,"title":"As Catastrophic Flooding Hits Houston, Fears Grow of Pollution from Oil Refineries \u0026amp; Superfund Sites","locale":"en"}</script></div><div class="download show_modal" data-modal="#audio_download_modal"></div></div><div class="download_modal" id="audio_download_modal"><div class="close"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/close_circle-5ec5cd072a7d7752e6073e5c8761274c67b9287aecead27a7e72cc2f30753d1f.png" alt="Close circle" /></div><h5>Media Options</h5><ul><li><a class="download_video" data-ga-action="Story: Download Video" data-ga-label="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/dn2017-0828.mp4?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0" href="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/dn2017-0828.mp4?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0">Download Video</a></li><li><a class="download_audio" data-ga-action="Story: Download Audio" data-ga-label="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/audio-m4a/dn2017-0828.m4a?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0" href="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/audio-m4a/dn2017-0828.m4a?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0">Download Audio</a></li><li><a class="get_cd_dvd" data-ga-action="Story: Get CD / DVD" data-ga-label="/gifts/dvds/shows/2017/8/28#navigation" href="/gifts/dvds/shows/2017/8/28#navigation">Get DVD</a></li><li><a class="other_formats" data-ga-action="Story: Other Formats" data-ga-label="/2017/8/28/stream" href="/2017/8/28/stream">Other Formats</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="story_with_left_panel"><div class="visible-lg-block" data-scroll-boundary="#most_popular" data-scroll-padding="40" id="story_social"><div class="social"><a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Share on Twitter" class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears&amp;text=As+Catastrophic+Flooding+Hits+Houston%2C+Fears+Grow+of+Pollution+from+Oil+Refineries+%26+Superfund+Sites&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"></a><a title="Share on Google Plus" class="google popup hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Google" href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Share on Reddit" class="reddit popup hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Reddit" href="https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Send via Email" class="email hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Email" href="mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democracynow.org%2F2017%2F8%2F28%2Fas_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears&amp;subject=As%20Catastrophic%20Flooding%20Hits%20Houston%2C%20Fears%20Grow%20of%20Pollution%20from%20Oil%20Refineries%20%26amp%3B%20Superfund%20Sites"></a><div class="download show_modal" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Download" data-modal="#social_download_modal"></div><div class="share_counter"><div class="share_count">0</div><div class="shares"><span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.social.shares">Shares</span></div></div></div><div class="download_modal" id="social_download_modal"><div class="close"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/close_circle-5ec5cd072a7d7752e6073e5c8761274c67b9287aecead27a7e72cc2f30753d1f.png" alt="Close circle" /></div><h5>Media Options</h5><ul><li><a class="download_video" data-ga-action="Story: Download Video" data-ga-label="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/dn2017-0828.mp4?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0" href="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/360/dn2017-0828.mp4?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0">Download Video</a></li><li><a class="download_audio" data-ga-action="Story: Download Audio" data-ga-label="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/audio-m4a/dn2017-0828.m4a?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0" href="https://publish.dvlabs.com/democracynow/audio-m4a/dn2017-0828.m4a?start=900.0&amp;end=1872.0">Download Audio</a></li><li><a class="get_cd_dvd" data-ga-action="Story: Get CD / DVD" data-ga-label="/gifts/dvds/shows/2017/8/28#navigation" href="/gifts/dvds/shows/2017/8/28#navigation">Get DVD</a></li><li><a class="other_formats" data-ga-action="Story: Other Formats" data-ga-label="/2017/8/28/stream" href="/2017/8/28/stream">Other Formats</a></li></ul></div></div><div id="story_text"><div class="donate_banner hidden-xs hidden-sm hidden-md"><div class="prompt">This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today.</div><a class="donate button_blue" data-ga-action="Story: Donate" href="/donate">Donate</a></div><div class="left_panel"><div class="visible-xs"><div class="social"><a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Share on Twitter" class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears&amp;text=As+Catastrophic+Flooding+Hits+Houston%2C+Fears+Grow+of+Pollution+from+Oil+Refineries+%26+Superfund+Sites&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"></a><a title="Share on Google Plus" class="google popup hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Google" href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Share on Reddit" class="reddit popup hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Reddit" href="https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Send via Email" class="email hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Email" href="mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democracynow.org%2F2017%2F8%2F28%2Fas_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears&amp;subject=As%20Catastrophic%20Flooding%20Hits%20Houston%2C%20Fears%20Grow%20of%20Pollution%20from%20Oil%20Refineries%20%26amp%3B%20Superfund%20Sites"></a><div class="share_counter"><div class="share_count">0</div><div class="shares"><span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.social.shares">Shares</span></div></div></div><div><h5>Related</h5><ul class="story_anchors"><li><a class="anchor_link" data-ga-action="Mobile Anchor Link: Topics" href="#topics_sm_screen">Topics</a></li><li><a class="anchor_link" data-ga-action="Mobile Anchor Link: Guests" href="#guests_sm_screen">Guests</a></li><li><a class="anchor_link" data-ga-action="Mobile Anchor Link: Transcript" href="#transcript">Transcript</a></li></ul></div></div><div class="hidden-xs"><div class="mobile_anchor_target" id="topics_lg_screen"><h5>Topics</h5><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/hurricane">Hurricane</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/climate_change">Climate Change</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/texas">Texas</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/hurricane_harvey">Hurricane Harvey</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/extreme_weather">Extreme Weather</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/natural_gas_and_oil">Natural Gas &amp; Oil Drilling</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/flooding">Flooding</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li></ul></div><hr /><div class="mobile_anchor_target guests" id="guests_lg_screen"><h5>Guests</h5><ul><li><div class="guest"><div class="guest_information"><a data-ga-action="Story: Appearance" href="/appearances/bryan_parras">Bryan Parras</a><div class="grey_description">organizer for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston, Texas. He is the co-founder of environmental justice group t.e.j.a.s.</div></div></div></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="story_summary"><div class="hidden-xs hidden-lg"><div class="social"><a title="Share on Facebook" class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Share on Twitter" class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears&amp;text=As+Catastrophic+Flooding+Hits+Houston%2C+Fears+Grow+of+Pollution+from+Oil+Refineries+%26+Superfund+Sites&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"></a><a title="Share on Google Plus" class="google popup hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Google" href="https://plus.google.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Share on Reddit" class="reddit popup hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Reddit" href="https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2017/8/28/as_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears"></a><a title="Send via Email" class="email hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Share Tools: Email" href="mailto:?body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.democracynow.org%2F2017%2F8%2F28%2Fas_catastrophic_flooding_hits_houston_fears&amp;subject=As%20Catastrophic%20Flooding%20Hits%20Houston%2C%20Fears%20Grow%20of%20Pollution%20from%20Oil%20Refineries%20%26amp%3B%20Superfund%20Sites"></a><div class="share_counter"><div class="share_count">0</div><div class="shares"><span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.social.shares">Shares</span></div></div></div></div><div class="donate_banner hidden-xs hidden-lg"><div class="prompt">This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today.</div><a class="donate button_blue" data-ga-action="Story: Donate" href="/donate">Donate</a></div><div class="text"><p>A catastrophic storm has hit Houston, the nation&#8217;s fourth-largest city and home to the largest refining and petrochemical complex in the United States. The crisis began on Friday when Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport, Texas. It was the most powerful hurricane to strike the state in more than 50 years. Much of the damage has been caused by the massive rainfall, with parts of Texas already receiving 30 inches of rain. That could top 50 inches in the coming days. Entire highways in Houston are now underwater. The storm has caused five reported deaths, but the death toll is expected to rise. Thousands of people are still stranded in their homes, waiting to be rescued. Meanwhile, the city of Dallas prepares to turn its convention center into a mega-shelter to host 5,000 evacuees. The National Weather Service released a statement on Sunday saying, &#8220;This event is unprecedented and all impacts are unknown and beyond anything experienced.&#8221; We speak with Bryan Parras, an organizer for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston, Texas. He helped found the environmental justice group t.e.j.a.s.</p></div><hr class="hidden-xs" /></div><div class="donate_banner hidden-sm hidden-md hidden-lg"><div class="prompt">This is viewer supported news. Please do your part today.</div><a class="donate button_blue" data-ga-action="Story: Donate" href="/donate">Donate</a></div><div class="related_story visible-xs"><h4>Related Story		</h4><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">Nov 24, 2017</span><a data-ga-action="Story: Recommended" href="/2017/11/24/will_houston_s_post_harvey_recovery">Will Houston&#8217;s Post-Harvey Recovery Exacerbate Inequities or Build a More Just City?</a></div><div class="related_content visible-xs"><div class="mobile_anchor_target" id="topics_sm_screen"><h5>Topics</h5><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/hurricane">Hurricane</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/climate_change">Climate Change</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/texas">Texas</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/hurricane_harvey">Hurricane Harvey</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/extreme_weather">Extreme Weather</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/natural_gas_and_oil">Natural Gas &amp; Oil Drilling</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li><li><a data-ga-action="Story: Topic" href="/topics/flooding">Flooding</a><div class="visible-xs-inline-block"><span class="bullet"></span></div></li></ul></div><hr /><div class="mobile_anchor_target guests" id="guests_sm_screen"><h5>Guests</h5><ul><li><div class="guest"><div class="guest_information"><a data-ga-action="Story: Appearance" href="/appearances/bryan_parras">Bryan Parras</a><div class="grey_description">organizer for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston, Texas. He is the co-founder of environmental justice group t.e.j.a.s.</div></div></div></li></ul></div></div><div class="mobile_anchor_target" id="transcript"><h5 class="transcript">Transcript</h5><div class="grey_description fine_print">This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.</div><div class="text"><p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> This is <em>Democracy Now!</em>, democracynow.org, <em>The War and Peace Report</em>. I&#8217;m Amy Goodman, joined by <em>Democracy Now!</em>&#8217;s Renée Feltz, a Houston native.</p>
<p><strong>RENÉE <span class="caps">FELTZ</span>:</strong> Good morning, and thank you, Amy. And good morning to all of our listeners and viewers around the country and around the world, and potentially in Houston, underwater.</p>
<p>A catastrophic storm has hit Houston, Texas, and the flooding is expected to only worsen in the coming days. Houston is the nation&#8217;s fourth-largest city and home to the largest refining and petrochemical complex in the United States. The crisis began on Friday when Hurricane Harvey made landfall in Rockport, Texas. It was the most powerful hurricane to hit the state in more than 50 years. But much of the damage has not been caused by the wind or tides, but by the massive rainfall. Some parts of Texas have already received 30 inches of rain and could top 50 inches. Entire highways in Houston are now underwater.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> According to <em>The Washington Post</em>, the storm has already dumped more than 9 trillion gallons of water, enough water to fill the Great Salt Lake in Salt Lake City twice. And meteorologists project another 5 to 10 trillion gallons of water could be dumped on the region in coming days, potentially making this the worst flooding disaster in U.S. history. To compound matters, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have begun releasing water from two large reservoirs, which will increase flooding of homes downtown near Buffalo Bayou, parts of which are already flooded.</p>
<p>On Sunday, the National Weather Service released a statement saying, quote, &#8220;This event is unprecedented and all impacts are unknown beyond anything experienced,&#8221; unquote. And the damage has not only been in Houston. <span class="caps">FEMA</span>, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reports the storm has impacted 50 counties in Texas, as well as parts of Louisiana. This is Brock Long, <span class="caps">FEMA</span> administrator, speaking this morning.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BROCK</span> <span class="caps">LONG</span>:</strong> We need citizens to be involved. Texas, this is a landmark event. We have not seen an event like this. You could not draw this forecast up. You could not dream this forecast up. It&#8217;s been a very challenging effort for the National Weather Service, who&#8217;s been putting out great information. We&#8217;ve been telling people that this is coming. It&#8217;s still ongoing. But you couldn&#8217;t—you couldn&#8217;t draw this situation up. The bottom line is, is that it&#8217;s going to continue on. We need the whole community, not only the federal government forces, but this is a whole community effort from all levels of government, and it&#8217;s going to require the citizens getting involved.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong>RENÉE <span class="caps">FELTZ</span>:</strong> The storm has caused five reported deaths, but the death toll is expected to rise. Thousands of people are still stranded in their homes, waiting to be rescued, many by volunteers who brought their own boats to help. One rescue operation took place at a nursing home in Dickinson, Texas, after a photo went viral showing elderly residents sitting waist-deep in water. Many neighborhoods may be uninhabitable for weeks or longer. The city of Dallas is preparing to turn its convention center into a mega-shelter to host some 5,000 evacuees. Displaced residents have also been gathering at the Houston convention center.</p>
<blockquote>
<p><strong><span class="caps">DISPLACED</span> <span class="caps">RESIDENT</span>:</strong> I was in Magnolia Park in the transit center. And they put us off the bus in knee-high water. So, when the wind starts blowing, I almost lost my dog. I put him—the bike went down the street. An <span class="caps">HPD</span> officer had seen what was happening, and he came to our aid. If it wasn&#8217;t for the <span class="caps">HPD</span> officer, we would have been swept away.</p>
</blockquote>
<p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> It&#8217;s believed there are thousands of people at that Houston convention center. President Trump is expected to visit the region on Tuesday.</p>
<p>We go now to Houston, where we&#8217;re joined by Bryan Parras, an organizer for Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston, Texas. He helped found the environmental justice group Texas Environmental Justice Advocacy Services, known as t.e.j.a.s. And joining us from San Diego, David Helvarg, executive director of Blue Frontier, an ocean conservation group, author of several books, including <em>Rescue Warriors: The U.S. Coast Guard, America&#8217;s Forgotten Heroes</em>.</p>
<p>But let&#8217;s begin with Bryan in Houston. We&#8217;re speaking to you on Skype. We&#8217;re very glad you can even communicate with us today. Talk about the extent of the damage. As we talk about Buffalo Bayou, for people who don&#8217;t live in Houston, I think it&#8217;s hard for them to even understand the geography of Houston and what actually is taking place in this unprecedented both rainfall and flooding, the flooding only expected to get worse.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> Yeah. Thank you, Amy. Thank you, Renée.</p>
<p>Well, you know, Buffalo Bayou, let&#8217;s start there. That&#8217;s one of the—the iconic bayou of Houston, Texas. And it crosses from the Westside of Houston to the Eastside of Houston and then becomes the Houston Ship Channel as it empties out into Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. But we&#8217;ve seen already extensive flooding along the bayous on the Westside. And my concern is, where I live, on the Eastside, because of the many, many petrochemical facilities, storage tanks and other hazardous sites that line that same bayou for 30, 40 miles.</p>
<p><strong>RENÉE <span class="caps">FELTZ</span>:</strong> Bryan, thanks so much for joining us this morning there from Houston&#8217;s East End. I wanted to ask you—I know you from <span class="caps">KPFT</span>, where I was a news director for many years, including during Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. And I know that you have been documenting for a long time the pollution that comes from these refineries in normal circumstances. You give a &#8220;toxic tour&#8221; of some of these refineries. And now, you&#8217;ve been shooting video of some of the releases that they may have been making since the storm began on Friday. You shot footage that showed some of this release on Friday, I believe. Maybe you can describe what you shot and describe what you&#8217;re seeing. And is there a smell in the air from some of these releases?</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> Yeah, thank you. So, on normal rain events, we know that these facilities, which are decades old, have situations where they have to shut down to prevent and avoid these catastrophic explosions and events. Unfortunately, you know, it happens time and time again. So we are very vigilant about keeping an eye on these facilities, because they are often not penalized for doing that either, and do nothing to mitigate these situations from happening over and over and over again.</p>
<p>So, Friday, we were out just checking some of these facilities and other sites that we&#8217;re also concerned about. And there was an event at Texas Petrochemical, I believe, where there was a flare event happening. And later that night, there were, for hours—for hours—really, really strong chemical odors from East Houston all the way to even the downtown area. And this was something that was discussed and talked about on social media, and, you know, not talked about, not discussed on the news here in Houston.</p>
<p>Now, we did hear later that all of the facilities, all of the refineries went into voluntary shutdown mode. And when that happens, they often have to go through the process of burning off these excess chemicals. But it&#8217;s a dirty burn. So you can see, actually, the black smoke, and that&#8217;s what we captured in the pictures and the video.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> Bryan—</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> Unfortunately, that adds, you know, thousands of pounds of cancer-causing chemicals to the air.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> Bryan, can you talk about Houston&#8217;s underwater Superfund site and what you&#8217;re concerned about there, and also the disparate impact of a storm? I mean, of course, this is affecting everyone, but especially in areas like you&#8217;re describing, who lives in these areas. But first, that underwater Superfund site?</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> Right. So there&#8217;s a very well-known Superfund site underwater with dioxin.<br />
It&#8217;s the San Jacinto Waste Pits. And a good friend of ours, Jackie, has been doing some work in that area. It&#8217;s near Baytown, near one of the largest refineries in the country, owned by Exxon. There&#8217;s also Chevron down the road. And this bayou, the San Jacinto bayou, is just another vein of water that pushes out into Galveston Bay.</p>
<p>And there was this old legacy pollutants from a paper mill that has sort of just left their toxins in the ground. And eventually, you know, it was flooded. And there it remains. And the <span class="caps">EPA</span> and other agencies are in the process of cleaning that up. But as they go through their long, lengthy process of doing that, we&#8217;ve had several rain events. And each time we have a rain event, this contamination is being spread into communities, homes, neighborhoods, and further exposing more and more people.</p>
<p>And we know that we have elevated levels of cancers all along these areas. There have been many reports to show increased rates of childhood leukemia, if you live within two miles of the Houston Ship Channel, for example. So, you know, the information is out there. We know that these chemicals are causing cancers and other life-debilitating ailments to the people who live adjacent to them.</p>
<p><strong>RENÉE <span class="caps">FELTZ</span>:</strong> Bryan, you&#8217;ve lived through many of these storms in Houston and helped document what happened. I wanted to ask you about reports we&#8217;re hearing about ExxonMobil evacuating their workers from the region&#8217;s offshore oil drilling platforms in the Gulf, right there off the coast of Houston, in Texas, in Galveston and surrounding areas. During Hurricane Katrina and Rita, these drilling platforms, that have now been evacuated, spilled more than 700,000 gallons of oil into the Gulf there. What are you hearing now about evacuations of these platforms? Have you heard yet about any leaks?</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> I haven&#8217;t heard of any leaks yet. But we do know that they did evacuate all of the offshore workers that were in the path of the storm. And we know that there&#8217;s been less production here in the region. Houston is a huge, huge center for producing oil and gas for the rest of the country.</p>
<p><strong>RENÉE <span class="caps">FELTZ</span>:</strong> Have you heard much yet there on the ground—even though the talk is mostly about rescuing people, has there been much talk yet about the impact this could have on fuel prices throughout the country? And talk a little bit about—just as we wrap up—a little bit on this point, about what are these refineries refining, and where is it coming from, and where is it going, to give people an idea of how this fits into other issues we&#8217;ve covered, for example, with pipelines like the Dakota Access pipeline, for example.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> Right. You know, this could be an entire show, Renée, as you know. But the Houston Ship Channel and refining area receives oil and gas from as far away as the Dakotas. But we also have production in our own state—Permian Basin, where my parents are from. So there&#8217;s oil coming from West Texas, a lot of new fracked oil coming into the area. And, of course, there&#8217;s even oil imported from different parts of the world.</p>
<p>And we&#8217;ve been looking at and concerned about even increased plans of bringing oil from places like Alberta, Canada, with the tar sands, and, more recently, the Dakota Access pipeline, sort of helping aid that. We&#8217;ve got so much here already. And I don&#8217;t think that they&#8217;re doing enough dealing with the impacts that we already have seen, which is evident right now. There is no reason why we should be having these flaring events, that are literally gassing communities along the Ship Channel.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> Finally, Bryan, you&#8217;re using the hashtag #AJustHarveyRecovery. Explain this hashtag.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">BRYAN</span> <span class="caps">PARRAS</span>:</strong> Yeah, so, in New Orleans, after Katrina, there was a very, very big lesson learned that the issues of injustice intersect in so many different ways. You know, these catastrophes and disasters are not just environmental disasters. They&#8217;re housing disasters. They&#8217;re access to services. They&#8217;re immigration issues of injustice, and so many—worker justice, wage theft. You know, I could go on and on. And so, what we&#8217;re doing is keeping an eye on all of these very important issues that impact vulnerable and often unheard communities that are exploited in these disasters.</p>
<p>And I know you&#8217;ve talked to Naomi Klein about disaster capitalism. You know, these are sorts of events where predators come in and prey on vulnerable communities, so the elderly, the homeless, even prison populations that are evacuated, not before the storm comes, but as the water is rising in the jail cells. And so, these are the reasons we&#8217;re using the hashtag, so that folks can contribute and make aware these vulnerable populations and communities as the storm unfolds.</p>
<p><strong><span class="caps">AMY</span> <span class="caps">GOODMAN</span>:</strong> Well, Bryan, we want to thank you very much for being with us. Thank you for joining us during this very difficult time in your city, Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States. Bryan Parras is an organizer for the Beyond Dirty Fuels campaign with the Sierra Club in Houston, Texas, helped found the environmental justice group t.e.j.a.s.</p>
<p>When we come back, we go to David Helvarg. You hear nonstop coverage on the networks of this catastrophe, this historic, horrifying event that&#8217;s taking place in Texas, being hit by the storm and flooding. But there are two words you will not hear those meteorologists say very much, and they are &#8220;climate change.&#8221; They are &#8220;global warming.&#8221; We&#8217;ll talk to David Helvarg about the connection. Stay with us.</p></div><div class="fine_print grey_description">The original content of this program is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License</a>. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.</div><hr class="hidden-xs" /><div class="next_story_body"><h4>Next story from this daily show</h4><h5><a data-ga-action="Story: Next Story" href="/2017/8/28/this_is_the_new_normal_inside">&#8220;This is the New Normal&#8221;: How Climate Change Is Fueling Massive Storms Like Harvey</a></h5></div></div></div></div></div><div class="sidebar col-lg-4 col-sm-4"><a class="next_story_summary hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Story: Next Story" href="/2017/8/28/this_is_the_new_normal_inside"><span class="label">NEXT</span><span class="title">&#8220;This is the New Normal&#8221;: How Climate Change Is Fueling Massive Storms Like Harvey</span></a><div class="widget stories_widget hidden-xs"><h5>Related</h5><a data-ga-action="Story: Recommended" href="/2017/11/24/will_houston_s_post_harvey_recovery"><div class="image media"><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/25/39625/w320/harvey.jpg" alt="Harvey" /></div><div class="news_label"><img class="play" src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/video_square-b2d9809b2d8e28a669aec9b9b6ca59ee3dd8813834e8b7151c783b16a503c3f4.png" alt="Video square" /><span class="label">Story</span><span class="date">Nov 24, 2017</span></div><h3>Will Houston&#8217;s Post-Harvey Recovery Exacerbate Inequities or Build a More Just City?</h3></a></div><div class="widget home_daily_digest"><div class="digest_container"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/newsletter-812b993764242f0a9244411e27fb6ed657a4638a56a4d563d2b626bdb713e47e.png" alt="Newsletter" /><h5>Daily News Digest</h5><div>Our Daily Digest brings Democracy Now! to your inbox each morning.</div><form action="/subscribe" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="&#x2713;" /><input type="hidden" name="authenticity_token" value="8yxzZhl7uScmz03W/Jg5XyGpCScyfk8OWq3MX55YrDjwEH3tpw4LQOZYmjpuG0WxNfffgMUg2YbudA6rF0sIBA==" /><input size="20" class="email" placeholder="Email" type="email" name="subscriber[email]" /><input type="text" name="hobby" style="display: none;" /><input type="submit" name="commit" value="Submit" class="button_dark" data-ga-action="Widget: Daily Digest" data-disable-with="Submit" /></form></div></div><div class="widget home_events"><div><h5>Speaking Events</h5><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Event" href="/events/2018/2/juan_gonzlez_at_the_puffin_cultural_forum__1461"><div class="calendar"><div class="month">Feb</div><div class="day">24</div></div><div class="details"><h6>Saturday,  8:00 pm</h6><div class="location">Teaneck, NJ </div></div><div class="more_info visible-lg">Info</div></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Event" href="/events/2018/3/juan_gonzlez_at_suny_old_westbury__1454"><div class="calendar"><div class="month">Mar</div><div class="day">7</div></div><div class="details"><h6>Wednesday, 11:20 am</h6><div class="location">Old Westbury, NY </div></div><div class="more_info visible-lg">Info</div></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Event" href="/events/2018/3/juan_gonzlez_at_rutgers_university__1455"><div class="calendar"><div class="month">Mar</div><div class="day">30</div></div><div class="details"><h6>Friday, 12:00 pm</h6><div class="location">Camden, NJ </div></div><div class="more_info visible-lg">Info</div></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Event" href="/events/2018/4/juan_gonzlez_at_st_marys_college_of_california__1456"><div class="calendar"><div class="month">Apr</div><div class="day">6</div></div><div class="details"><h6>Friday, 12:00 pm</h6><div class="location">Moraga, CA</div></div><div class="more_info visible-lg">Info</div></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Event" href="/events/2018/4/juan_gonzlez_at_the_university_of_denver__1457"><div class="calendar"><div class="month">Apr</div><div class="day">16</div></div><div class="details"><h6>Monday, 12:00 pm</h6><div class="location">Denver, CO </div></div><div class="more_info visible-lg">Info</div></a></li></ul><a class="more_events" href="/events">More events &#x27F6;</a></div></div><div class="widget recent_news"><h5>Recent News</h5><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Recent News" href="/2018/2/16/trump_blames_mental_illness_for_parkland"><div class="short_title">Trump Blames Mental Illness for Parkland Shooting, Ignores Easy Gun Access &amp; Loose Background Checks</div><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/33/40833/w320/_S1_Trump-mental-illness-guns.jpg" alt=" s1 trump mental illness guns" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Recent News" href="/2018/2/16/white_supremacy_patriarchy_and_guns_fl"><div class="short_title">White Supremacy, Patriarchy and Guns: FL Shooter Had Record of Death Threats, Violence Against Women</div><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/34/40834/w320/_S2_mass-shootings-patriarchy-racism.jpg" alt=" s2 mass shootings patriarchy racism" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Recent News" href="/2018/2/16/cyril_ramaphosa_south_africas_new_president"><div class="short_title">Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa&#8217;s New President, Known for Moving Profits to Offshore Tax Havens</div><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/35/40835/w320/_S3_South-Africa-Ramaphosa.jpg" alt=" s3 south africa ramaphosa" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Recent News" href="/2018/2/15/when_will_this_stop_17_shot"><div class="short_title">When Will This Stop? 17 Shot Dead in Florida School Massacre, the 18th School Shooting of Year</div><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/02/40802/w320/FL-Kids-Line.jpg" alt="Fl kids line" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Recent News" href="/2018/2/15/republican_lawmakers_refuse_to_adopt_gun"><div class="short_title">Republican Lawmakers Refuse to Adopt Gun Control Despite 200 School Shootings Since Sandy Hook</div><img class="modern" src="https://www.democracynow.org/images/story/03/40803/w320/FL-Parents.jpg" alt="Fl parents" /></a></li></ul></div><div class="widget"><div class="headlines"><div class="content"><h5>Headlines for February 16</h5><div class="more_headlines"><a class="watch" data-ga-action="Home Headlines: Watch" href="/shows/2018/2/16?autostart=111.0">Watch</a><a class="read" data-ga-action="Home Headlines: Read" href="/2018/2/16/headlines">Read</a></div><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/senators_wrap_four_days_of_open_debate_with_no_deal_on_immigration">Senators Wrap Four Days of Open Debate with No Deal on Immigration</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/daca_recipients_launch_250_mile_15_day_march_from_new_york_to_dc"><span class="caps">DACA</span> Recipients Launch 250-Mile, 15-Day March from New York to D.C.</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/thousands_attend_vigil_for_victims_of_florida_high_school_massacre">Thousands Attend Vigil for Victims of Florida High School Massacre</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/president_trump_blames_mental_health_not_guns_for_school_shooting">President Trump Blames Mental Health—Not Guns—for School Shooting</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/cyril_ramaphosa_sworn_in_as_south_african_president">Cyril Ramaphosa Sworn In as South African President</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/ethiopian_prime_minister_hailemariam_desalegn_resigns">Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn Resigns</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/el_salvador_court_releases_woman_jailed_over_stillbirth">El Salvador: Court Releases Woman Jailed over Stillbirth</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/appeals_court_rules_trump_travel_ban_discriminates_against_muslims">Appeals Court Rules Trump Travel Ban Discriminates Against Muslims</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/new_yorker_president_trump_used_tabloid_to_quash_news_of_affairs">New Yorker: President Trump Used Tabloid to Quash News of Affairs</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/nypd_sergeant_not_guilty_of_murdering_66_year_old_bronx_resident"><span class="caps">NYPD</span> Sergeant &#8220;Not Guilty&#8221; of Murdering 66-Year-Old Bronx Resident</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/austin_to_become_first_southern_city_with_paid_sick_leave">Austin to Become First Southern City with Paid Sick Leave</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Widget: Headline" href="/2018/2/16/headlines/texas_solitary_confinement_for_asylum_seeker_over_sexual_assault_allegations">Texas: Solitary Confinement for Asylum Seeker over Sexual Assault Allegations</a></li></ul></div><a class="view_more visible-xs" data-ga-action="Headlines: More" href="/headlines">View All</a><a class="view_more button_red hidden-xs" data-ga-action="Headlines: More" href="/headlines">View All</a></div></div></div></div></div><div id="most_popular"><div class="container-fluid"><div class="row"><h5>Most popular</h5><ul><li class="col-lg-3 col-sm-6 col-md-6"><div class="number">1</div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Home Popular: Item" href="/2018/2/7/nyc_taxi_driver_kills_himself_at"><span class="caps">NYC</span> Taxi Driver Kills Himself at City Hall After Condemning Uber &amp; Politicians for Financial Ruin</a></div><div class="share visible-lg-block"><a class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/7/nyc_taxi_driver_kills_himself_at"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/facebook_icon-383f96e0838a32a73a62e1001107be558f0c3b34167b68b48b8bcd07bcb980fc.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a><a class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/7/nyc_taxi_driver_kills_himself_at&amp;text=NYC+Taxi+Driver+Kills+Himself+at+City+Hall+After+Condemning+Uber+%26+Politicians+for+Financial+Ruin&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/twitter_icon-7ada1bbfdd3f271ee243db9b8bab0a7dfa23a0b1f3083b054bc6923f776d9bdf.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></div></li><li class="col-lg-3 col-sm-6 col-md-6"><div class="number">2</div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Home Popular: Item" href="/2018/2/16/white_supremacy_patriarchy_and_guns_fl">White Supremacy, Patriarchy and Guns: FL Shooter Had Record of Death Threats, Violence Against Women</a></div><div class="share visible-lg-block"><a class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/16/white_supremacy_patriarchy_and_guns_fl"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/facebook_icon-383f96e0838a32a73a62e1001107be558f0c3b34167b68b48b8bcd07bcb980fc.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a><a class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/16/white_supremacy_patriarchy_and_guns_fl&amp;text=White+Supremacy%2C+Patriarchy+and+Guns%3A+FL+Shooter+Had+Record+of+Death+Threats%2C+Violence+Against+Women&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/twitter_icon-7ada1bbfdd3f271ee243db9b8bab0a7dfa23a0b1f3083b054bc6923f776d9bdf.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></div></li><li class="col-lg-3 col-sm-6 col-md-6"><div class="number">3</div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Home Popular: Item" href="/2018/2/13/its_hard_to_believe_but_syrias">&#8220;It&#8217;s Hard to Believe, But Syria&#8217;s War Is Getting Worse&#8221;: World Powers Clash as Civilian Deaths Soar</a></div><div class="share visible-lg-block"><a class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/13/its_hard_to_believe_but_syrias"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/facebook_icon-383f96e0838a32a73a62e1001107be558f0c3b34167b68b48b8bcd07bcb980fc.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a><a class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/13/its_hard_to_believe_but_syrias&amp;text=%E2%80%9CIt%E2%80%99s+Hard+to+Believe%2C+But+Syria%E2%80%99s+War+Is+Getting+Worse%E2%80%9D%3A+World+Powers+Clash+as+Civilian+Deaths+Soar&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/twitter_icon-7ada1bbfdd3f271ee243db9b8bab0a7dfa23a0b1f3083b054bc6923f776d9bdf.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></div></li><li class="col-lg-3 col-sm-6 col-md-6"><div class="number">4</div><div class="title"><a data-ga-action="Home Popular: Item" href="/2018/2/15/when_will_this_stop_17_shot">When Will This Stop? 17 Shot Dead in Florida School Massacre, the 18th School Shooting of Year</a></div><div class="share visible-lg-block"><a class="facebook popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Facebook" href="https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/15/when_will_this_stop_17_shot"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/facebook_icon-383f96e0838a32a73a62e1001107be558f0c3b34167b68b48b8bcd07bcb980fc.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a><a class="twitter popup" data-ga-action="Home Popular: Twitter" href="https://twitter.com/share?url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/15/when_will_this_stop_17_shot&amp;text=When+Will+This+Stop%3F+17+Shot+Dead+in+Florida+School+Massacre%2C+the+18th+School+Shooting+of+Year&amp;via=democracynow&amp;lang=en"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/twitter_icon-7ada1bbfdd3f271ee243db9b8bab0a7dfa23a0b1f3083b054bc6923f776d9bdf.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></div></li></ul></div></div></div><div id="appeal"><div class="container-fluid"><h2>Non-commercial news needs your support</h2><div class="text">We rely on contributions from our  viewers and listeners to do our work.<br>Please do your part today.</div><a class="button_dark" data-ga-action="Home Donate Banner: Donate" href="/donate">Make a donation</a></div></div><div id="top_anchor"><a data-ga-action="Top Anchor: Button" href="#"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/icons/up_arrow-cf861c6d91177cfc381c4d8710375e60d698d591a8686c1d5779379dfed551a4.png" alt="Up arrow" />Top</a></div><footer><div class="container-fluid"><div class="row"><div class="col-lg-5 col-sm-6 col-md-6 hidden-xs"><div class="logo"><picture><source media="(max-width: 767px)" srcset="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==" /><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/footer/atom-logo-large-3c5aab142bff4e2c424ad8b1cf47bd17222bbc763dbc212bd7b7fc231d6a09d2.png" alt="Atom logo large" /></picture></div><h5>independent global news</h5><div class="about">Democracy Now! is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Please do your part today.</div><a class="donate button_blue" data-ga-action="Footer: Donate" href="/donate">Make a donation</a><div class="share_row hidden-lg"><div class="email_header"><h5>Get Email Updates</h5></div><form action="/subscribe" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="&#x2713;" /><input type="hidden" name="authenticity_token" value="QPXzmNM7cSRWvdDmSYqEMWmlGyCPmarqjoxQBSPL1AcZYsJIZYe/+BlbiFlXTRIl5mdyPdzpEOYe8UCkIMNOAQ==" /><input size="20" class="email" placeholder="Email" type="email" name="subscriber[email]" /><input type="text" name="hobby" style="display: none;" /><input type="submit" name="commit" value="subscribe" class="button_blue" data-ga-action="Footer: Daily Digest" data-disable-with="subscribe" /></form><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/facebook-icon-3c8d143780d677b687a4475d2c3cb779e490197741d39181957c5db53c88ed81.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/twitter-icon-0975471f41ff3a2e22eebd5e51c64261f43cf097c629f9fbe9cc21b2e7fed46a.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/youtube-icon-7c6e402a2731a74429d90fff026f844babeef6a7c6b6cad155cc6070dfb8dc1f.png" alt="Youtube icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Instagram" href="http://www.instagram.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/instagram-icon-4f42133a53162c82edd2b742e06dacb7f569cc06ef2e35724dc008d42c2f6313.png" alt="Instagram icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Tumblr" href="http://democracynow.tumblr.com/"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/tumblr-icon-69a0593fee713ee66b168868d8fa134e8f9a293cd0f5ded8aacfc498f206f4ba.png" alt="Tumblr icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Google Plus" href="http://plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow/posts"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/googleplus-icon-e4446df4ed3e41b80eb9e63d1db366ce88079819c7f011c1af629c885f969140.png" alt="Googleplus icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Snapchat" href="http://www.snapchat.com/add/democracy.now"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/snapchat-icon-1652516164de498fc53811962a2f2778148c21dd272b199c09aba8c2d3dcf5b3.png" alt="Snapchat icon" /></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="col-sm-6 col-lg-6 col-lg-offset-1 footer_flex"><div class="news"><h5>News</h5><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Home" href="/">Home</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Daily Shows" href="/shows">Daily Shows</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Columns" href="/categories/weekly_column">Columns</a></li></ul><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Web Exclusives" href="/categories/web_exclusive">Web Exclusives</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Topics" href="/topics">Topics</a></li></ul></div><div class="democracy_now"><h5>Democracy Now!</h5><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: About" href="/about">About</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Events" href="/events">Events</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Contact" href="/contact">Contact</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Stations" href="/stations">Stations</a></li></ul><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Get Involved" href="/get_involved">Get Involved</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Education" href="/education">Education</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Jobs" href="/about/jobs">Jobs</a></li></ul></div><div class="editions"><h5>Editions</h5><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: English" href="/">English</a></li></ul><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Español" href="/es">Español</a></li></ul></div><div class="follow"><h5>Follow</h5><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Daily Digest" href="/subscribe">Daily Digest</a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: RSS &amp; Podcasts" href="/podcasting">RSS &amp; Podcasts</a></li></ul><ul class="col-xs-6 col-sm-12"><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: iOS App" href="http://apple.co/1fyu6Hl">iPhone App</a></li></ul></div></div></div><div class="row share_row visible-lg-block visible-xs-block"><div class="col-lg-5"><div class="email_header"><h5>Get Email Updates</h5></div><form action="/subscribe" accept-charset="UTF-8" method="post"><input name="utf8" type="hidden" value="&#x2713;" /><input type="hidden" name="authenticity_token" value="tNKY0lWUMSrXZ4W3cwXaIUq1uzjZELpvYa5JkNEE7TDtRakC4yj/9piB3Qhtwkw1xXfSJYpgAGPx01kx0gx3Ng==" /><input size="20" class="email" placeholder="Email" type="email" name="subscriber[email]" /><input type="text" name="hobby" style="display: none;" /><input type="submit" name="commit" value="subscribe" class="button_blue" data-ga-action="Footer: Daily Digest" data-disable-with="subscribe" /></form></div><div class="col-lg-6 col-lg-offset-1"><ul><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/facebook-icon-3c8d143780d677b687a4475d2c3cb779e490197741d39181957c5db53c88ed81.png" alt="Facebook icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Twitter" href="http://www.twitter.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/twitter-icon-0975471f41ff3a2e22eebd5e51c64261f43cf097c629f9fbe9cc21b2e7fed46a.png" alt="Twitter icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: YouTube" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/youtube-icon-7c6e402a2731a74429d90fff026f844babeef6a7c6b6cad155cc6070dfb8dc1f.png" alt="Youtube icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Instagram" href="http://www.instagram.com/democracynow"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/instagram-icon-4f42133a53162c82edd2b742e06dacb7f569cc06ef2e35724dc008d42c2f6313.png" alt="Instagram icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Tumblr" href="http://democracynow.tumblr.com/"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/tumblr-icon-69a0593fee713ee66b168868d8fa134e8f9a293cd0f5ded8aacfc498f206f4ba.png" alt="Tumblr icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Google Plus" href="http://plus.google.com/+DemocracyNow/posts"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/googleplus-icon-e4446df4ed3e41b80eb9e63d1db366ce88079819c7f011c1af629c885f969140.png" alt="Googleplus icon" /></a></li><li><a data-ga-action="Footer: Snapchat" href="http://www.snapchat.com/add/democracy.now"><img src="https://assets.democracynow.org/assets/sharing_icons/snapchat-icon-1652516164de498fc53811962a2f2778148c21dd272b199c09aba8c2d3dcf5b3.png" alt="Snapchat icon" /></a></li></ul></div></div><div class="row visible-xs-block"><div class="col-xs-12"><div class="about">Democracy Now! is a 501(c)3 non-profit news organization. We do not accept funding from advertising, underwriting or government agencies. We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work. Please do your part today.</div><a class="donate button_blue visible-xs" data-ga-action="Footer: Donate" href="https://www.democracynow.org/donate">Make a donation</a></div></div></div></footer></div></body></html>