Texas Refineries Release Over 300,000 Pounds of Pollutants During Storm A refinery is seen on August 29, 2017, in Deer Park, Texas. Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images By Winter storm Uri, which killed dozens of people and cut off power to over four million Texans at its peak, also disrupted supplies needed to keep the state’s refineries and petrochemical plants operating. As they shut down, refineries flared — or burned off — gases in order to prevent damage to their processing units. According to the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, the five largest refiners emitted nearly 337,000 pounds of pollutants in this manner. Get our free emails