Flaring violations at Louisiana-based plants leads to multi-million dollar settlement
(WAFB) - Dow Chemical Company and two subsidiaries, Performance Materials NA Inc. and Union Carbide Corporation, will pay millions to settle allegations that they polluted the air around petrochemical plants in Texas and Louisiana.
The allegations were raised jointly by the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ).
Those agencies allege industrial flares were improperly operated and monitored, leading to “excess” pollution. Certain chemicals identified by the agencies are linked to respiratory illnesses and cancers.
An announcement from the Justice Department says the companies will pay $294 million to reduce flaring at plants in Hahnville and Plaquemine in Louisiana, and Freeport and Orange in Texas.
LDEQ will also receive $675,000 from a $3 million civil penalty against Dow. Additionally, the company will be responsible for three state-approved “beneficial environmental projects.”
In a statement, LDEQ Secretary Chuck Carr Brown said, “every citizen of Louisiana will benefit.”
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