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## Valero Texas City Refinery: Recent SO2 Emissions and Monitoring Efforts
Texas City officials are actively monitoring an upset at the Valero facility that resulted in higher-than-normal sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions, leading to temporary road closures and air monitoring [[2]]. The incident involves a unit within the refinery releasing SO2 [[1]].As a precaution, FM 519 to the 605 South Loop has been closed, with the roads expected to remain closed for several hours [[2]].
Officials emphasize that there is no current threat to the general public. Teams from the Texas City Fire Department, Valero, and CTEH are on-site, and monitoring equipment has not detected SO2 in the surrounding community [[2]]. Residents can track air quality in real-time using a provided link [[2]].
The Valero Texas City refinery is a meaningful component of Texas’s energy infrastructure, located on the Houston Ship Channel and utilizing processes like catalytic cracking [[1]]. It receives feedstocks and distributes products via ships, barges, and pipelines [[3]].