West Dallas shingle plant says it reduced emissions; residents say it’s not enough

The owner of a West Dallas shingle plant at the center of years of scrutiny over air pollution said Thursday it has lowered its emissions of sulfur dioxide by 60%.

Roofing manufacturer GAF said in a written statement that a third-party “stack test” from Sept. 20 to 22 showed the reduction in emissions, saying the facility can now be classified as a “minor emissions source” instead of a “major source.” A major emissions source requires oversight from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The third-party administrator of the test was Air Hygiene Inc., a GAF spokesperson said.

But the West Dallas community and environmental justice nonprofit group Downwinders at Risk say they are insulted at GAF’s claim and want to see all the data.

“We don’t trust that word they say, and so anything that is self-reported around emissions decreasing — it’s just smoke and mirrors,” said Evelyn Mayo, board director of Downwinders at Risk.

Janie Cisernos, leader of Singleton United/Unidos, said sulfur dioxide is just one of many pollutants emitted by the plant and that she needs to see the whole report to trust GAF.

A spokesperson for GAF said the full test results were provided to the city of Dallas and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality on Oct. 6.

The plant, near a residential neighborhood, has been the center of a pollution controversy, with the predominantly Hispanic community raising health concerns stemming from the plant’s emissions for decades. Sulfur dioxide gas — which the EPA says can make breathing difficult and harm children who have asthma — is among the substances emitted by the facility.

“We’ve heard the community’s concerns about the West Dallas facility, and although we have operated at federally acceptable levels for decades, we remain focused on continuous improvement to further reduce emissions,” said Randy Bargfrede, GAF’s chief operations officer, in the company’s statement.

The New Jersey-based company, one of the largest roofing manufacturers in North America, announced in early September its plans to reduce pollution by the end of the year and move the plant’s operations to a new site beginning in 2027, but many community members and activists want it gone much sooner.

The group also asked the city to rezone the land to never allow industrial use on the grounds after 2029.

“As part of the zoning permit process, GAF plans to work closely with the community to engage in conversations about the future use of the property through a series of six meetings to establish the 2600 Singleton Vision Plan,” the company said.

Cisernos said the neighborhood proposed a two-year plan for GAF to shut down its facilities after its shutdown was announced. However, she said that after seeing the plan, GAF canceled their meeting and went ahead with its previous plans.

When asked by about this meeting, a GAF spokesperson said in a written statement, “Our process is open to the entire West Dallas community to allow their input with regard to the future development of the property.”

Cisernos also said that when it comes to the future plans of the site, the community has already discussed what they want to see.

“That shows how much they know about our community and our neighborhood — that they’re thinking they can just start from scratch with community input,” Cisernos said. “The community has given input.”

“The most important thing is stopping the pollution as soon as possible,” Mayo said. “It’s not about fantasizing about a future land use that no one can enforce will happen.”

The EPA objected to the TCEQ’s proposed renewal of the plant’s air permit in August, saying the permit didn’t comply with the federal Clean Air Act.

More than a dozen Texas environmental advocacy groups called for a review of the TCEQ in July, alleging the agency has violated civil rights and environmental laws.