Texas sues company whose Port Neches chemical plant exploded

[TexasTowelie]

by Kiah Collier, Texas Tribune


Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has sued TPC Group over environmental violations associated with the Nov. 27 explosion at the company’s Port Neches chemical plant, a blast that prompted widespread mandatory evacuations during the Thanksgiving holiday week.

The suit, filed Friday on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in Travis County District Court, also alleges the Houston-based company violated clean air laws multiple times from January 2018 to September 2019. The suit seeks injunctive relief and civil penalties, as well as for TPC Group to cover its attorney fees, court costs and investigative costs.

“I appreciate the Attorney General’s action today,” TCEQ Executive Director Toby Baker said in a statement released Friday. “It is absolutely crucial that entities like TPC Group are held responsible not only for the destructive environmental pollution they cause, but also for their impact on human health.”

The suit, which also covers water violations, had been expected. TCEQ referred the case to the attorney general in late December after the agency's three appointed commissioners rejected staff-recommended penalties for TPC for eight pollution violations from 2018. They said the recommended penalties weren’t strong enough for incidents that investigators had found to be preventable. The decision was notable as the agency’s stated strategy has been to bring companies into compliance in house rather than slap them with large fines — a strategy environmental and watchdogs groups say does not work because there are so many repeat environmental offenders, including TPC Group. The agency also doesn’t refer that many cases to the attorney general’s office, which has the authority to pursue criminal investigations and higher penalties.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/02/22/attorney-general-port-neches-plant-explosion/