Chemical Plant to Pay $6.6M Following Fire and Release

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that a chemical company has agreed to pay $6.6 million to Federal and state natural resource trustees to resolve claims of environmental damages resulting from a 2019 fire and chemical release at a company facility in Texas.

The company already paid $5.25M in a CERCLA settlement to reimburse the US for the cost of responding to the fire.

What Happened?

On March 22, 2019 a fire that had previously been put out reignited and damaged a containment wall. The event caused about 500,000 barrels containing wetting agents, water, firefighting foams, and oil products to be released into the environment.

State and Federal officials determined that the fire and release caused significant injuries to ecological resources and services, and that the hazardous chemicals released into air and water resulted in lost recreational opportunities in the area. 

The $6,600,000 will be used by designated trustees (NOAA, TCEQ, and others) to compensate the public for natural resource injuries, reimburse trustee agencies for the costs of assessment and fund the restoration planning and oversight process that will guide how restoration will be conducted. 

Complete Environmental Regulations Training

Want a clearer idea of how major EPA air, water, and chemical programs all fit together to affect your site's activities? Join in on the next Complete Environmental Regulations Webinar on May 16–17 at Lion.com.

EH&S professionals who attend can identify the regulations that apply to their facility and locate key requirements to achieve compliance with the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts to EPCRA, TSCA, Superfund, and more. Prefer to train at your own pace? Try the interactive online course.

Tags: CERCLA, environmental compliance