Chemical Plant to Pay $6.6M Following Fire and Release

Posted on 4/4/2024 by Lion Technology Inc.

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.

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Tags: CERCLA, environmental compliance

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