Texas reached a $12.6 million settlement with TPC Group over environmental violations associated to the November 2019 explosions on the firm’s Port Neches chemical plant, Texas Lawyer Common Ken Paxton introduced Friday.
The settlement requires TPC Group to restore or substitute its tools and to pay $12.6 million in penalties for violations of state emissions legal guidelines on the firm’s Port Neches plant after the 2019 blast.
The explosions the day earlier than Thanksgiving 2019 prompted the evacuations of greater than 50,000 individuals from the realm — about 100 miles east of Houston. The blasts spewed greater than 11 million kilos of hazardous substances, inflicting greater than $130 million in offsite property injury and extra impacts to human well being and the setting, in line with the U.S. Justice Division.
Texas sued TPC Group in 2020, alleging that the corporate continued to function its plant in Port Neches regardless of realizing that the ability had points and for violating emissions limits even after the blast. The state additionally alleged that the Houston-based firm violated clear air legal guidelines a number of instances from January 2018 to September 2019.
In an announcement, TPC Group stated that it was “working intently” with the Texas Fee on Setting High quality and the lawyer basic’s workplace to make sure its compliance with the state’s emission limits. The corporate described “operational challenges brought on by customized emission management models” that it put in whereas changing the Port Neches plant after the explosion.
“TPC Group is dedicated to complying with the emission limits of its permits and has been working diligently to deal with the problems,” Sara Cronin, TPC Group’s vp of communications and public affairs, stated in an announcement. “The settlement is reflective of our dedication to work day-after-day to be a optimistic a part of the communities wherein we function and a frontrunner in producing C4 petrochemicals.
In Might, TPC Group pleaded responsible to a violation of the Clear Air Act and agreed to pay greater than $30 million related to the explosions.
The corporate filed for chapter in 2022. In August, it agreed to pay $150 million in penalties associated to violations alleged by the Texas Fee on Environmental High quality.
“In Texas, we imagine in guaranteeing all industries function safely and being accountable stewards of our surroundings,” Paxton stated in an announcement Friday. “These penalties ship a transparent message: function responsibly to guard the well being and security of your fellow Texans, or face the implications.”
This text initially appeared in The Texas Tribune at https://www.texastribune.org/2024/11/22/texas-port-neches-plant-explosion-settlement/.
The Texas Tribune is a member-supported, nonpartisan newsroom informing and fascinating Texans on state politics and coverage. Be taught extra at texastribune.org.
Photograph: Thick smoke fills the sky above the TPC plant Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2019, in Port Neches, Texas. (Kim Brent/The Beaumont Enterprise by way of AP)
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