A Woodlands, Tex.-based petrochemical corporation has agreed to spend more than $121 million on facilities upgrades and civil penalties to settle alleged violations of federal and state environmental laws, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced recently.
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP will make $118 million worth of upgrades at its Cedar Bayou, Port Arthur and Sweeney, petrochemical plants and pay a $3.4 million civil penalty to resolve charges it violated the Clean Air Act and Texas air-pollution laws, the EPA reports in the March 9 announcement.
Larry Starfield, acting Assistant Administrator of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance, said the improvements will "result in significant benefits for the local communities in Texas.”
“This settlement will require Chevron Phillips to install pollution control and emissions monitoring equipment at three facilities in Texas," Starfield said, "reducing emissions of greenhouse gases and other harmful gases by thousands of tons per year.”
Chevron Phillips failed to correctly operate or monitor industrial flares, according to the EPA, resulting in extreme amounts of harmful emissions to be released into the atmosphere at the three facilities. Flares burn off excess gases so they aren't released; Chevron Phillips' proposed upgrades require the amount of gas sent to the flares to be minimized. The company also will improve combustion efficiency, the EPA states.
"While the health impacts of Clean Air Act violations in Port Arthur, Cedar Bayou and Sweeny, Texas, cannot be reversed, this Consent Decree does provide for improvements at Chevron Phillips facilities that are located close to residential neighborhoods," EPA Regional Administrator Earthea Nance said in the news release. "Port Arthur and these communities have been demanding assistance for years. It is good to see this kind of bold enforcement action."
A consent decree was filed with the complaint against Chevron Phillips filed in U.S. District Court for Texas' Southern District and awaits a 30-day public comment period and final court approval, according to the EPA.
Chevron Phillips Chemical Company is co-owned by Chevron Corporation and Phillips 66.
