Four petrochem plants sued in Texas

21-Dec-06

In an unprecedented move, Texas Attorney General has taken legal action against four Houston area chemical plants-Lyondell Chemical Co., Equistar Chemicals, Millennium Petrochemicals Inc., and Millennium Petrochemicals GP, for violating Texas environmental laws. This case is the first in Texas arising out of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) initiative to cut air pollution at chemical plants across the nation. According to documents filed in the district court, operations personnel at the four plants repeatedly failed to prevent the release of harmful pollutants into the atmosphere. Investigation revealed that the four facilities released unauthorized harmful emissions, such as volatile organic compounds, nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide, into the atmosphere over a long period of time. The suit alleges the companies either ignored the long-term release of such pollutants or did very little to remedy these chronic problems over time. The Office of the Attorney General decided to seek civil penalties after its settlement negotiations with the four companies and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) reached an impasse earlier this year. The companies' self-reporting indicates that Equistar and Millennium failed to implement required detection and repair programs to address leaks at valves, connectors, pumps and other components. According to the companies' reports, thousands of components were ignored for many years. In some cases, entire plant units were never monitored.