Sierra Club, Environment Texas Sue ExxonMobil Over Alleged Violations Of Air Emission Laws

HOUSTON — The largest U.S. oil refinery released 8 million pounds of illegal pollution in the last five years, violating federal air pollution laws thousands of times, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday by environmental groups.

The lawsuit against ExxonMobil is the latest by Sierra Club and Environment Texas as part of their campaign to rein in what they call "illegal emissions" by dozens of refineries and chemical plants that operate in the Texas Gulf Coast. In recent months, the groups have reached multimillion-dollar, out-of-court settlements with Shell and Chevron Phillips after filing similar suits. The groups say this is the largest of the lawsuits based on the size of the plant.

ExxonMobil denied the allegations and said it would fight the lawsuit. The company said it had invested $1 billion in recent years to improve emissions.

The lawsuit accuses Exxon of violating emission limits on sulfur dioxide, a component of acid rain; hydrogen sulfide, a toxic, flammable gas characterized by a rotten egg smell; such cancer-causing agents as benzene and butadiene; carbon monoxide; and the smog-causing agent nitrogen oxide.

The legal maneuvers are part of the broader accusations by the environmental groups and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that state regulators are not properly monitoring and enforcing federal emissions standards.

Texas has more oil refineries, chemical plants and coal-fired power plants that any other state and is the nation's leader in greenhouse gases. The state produces more than 20 percent of the nation's oil and one-third of the country's gas is refined along the Texas Gulf Coast.

Texas environmental regulators say their rules are meant to decrease pollution but are not so stringent that it becomes too expensive to operate in the state.

Comments

[Lance Manling]

05:03 PM on 12/16/2010

I would hope that Exxon will fight them but I guess there is no chance of that happening.

[nevernot]

12:04 PM on 12/15/2010

"Texas environmental regulators say their rules are meant to decrease pollution but are not so stringent that it becomes too expensive to operate in the state."

Riiiiiight, at a time when the oil companies are making not just record profits for themselves, but worldwide record profits, higher than any in history Texas is concerned about it becoming too expensive to operate? Get real Texas, you already got them to put their roots down, theyre not going to leave over a bit more taxes now. Can you imagine how much it would cost for them to move their operations out of state?

[LightBeam]

11:58 AM on 12/15/2010

Regulate the flow of cash permitted to go towards lobbying and political donations. That will leave billions available for technology improvements and renewable energy R&D.

Is this too complicated an equation for the power elite or am I just a naive commoner?

[green95gt]

11:57 AM on 12/15/2010

they should be sued over their fuel prices...they are typically more expensive than other brand names like shell and gulf.

[michael3ov]

07:56 AM on 12/16/2010

I was reading recently that if oil companies included all of the actual cost of gasoline, refining, environmental impact, impact on society than gas prices would be around $15 a gallon. Can you imagine how many people would just stop driving if the market worked the way it should for oil and gasoline?

[Kris Bui]

11:44 AM on 12/15/2010

Lawsuit, schmasuit. Big companies are just like the (big) Government. They're gonna do what they want because they can.

[zoemonster]

11:25 AM on 12/15/2010

Damn those greenies and govt. agencies.

The audacity of them interfering with the corporation's right to do as it pleases. If they're forced to clean up their mess, it's going to reduce their profits. (Intsert footage of Boehner sobbing here).

[CajunSpectre]

11:21 AM on 12/15/2010

The largest petroleum company in the world making billions in profit every year while not paying one red cent in corporate taxes is polluting the air? Why should they have pollution controls, after all that costs money, would reduce profit and result in lower bonuses for the corporate executives. That is just unAmerican and will not be tolerated, these executives need those bonuses in order to live the lifestyles they are accustomed to and the rest of the people will just have to fend for themselves.

[tleb]

11:19 AM on 12/15/2010

Well, it reads as if Exxon is getting off easy. Regulators not enforcing federal emission standards... I guess this is the "other" costs of filling up at the pump.

[CajunSpectre]

11:44 AM on 12/15/2010

Texas and Louisiana are delegation states when it comes to federal environmental regulations. The EPA does not have the staff resources to do the actual inspections and monitoring, instead they have delegation agreements with the states where the state environmental agencies are paid, through grants to enforce the federal regulations. In Louisiana, the state environmental agency staff has been reduced to a skeleton workforce by the current governor and as a result the required number of inspections facilities like the Exxon refineries. I suspect that the same is true in Texas.

[Kenz300]

11:13 AM on 12/15/2010

It is time for a transition to clean, safe alternative energy.

Wind, solar, geothermal and second generation biofuels are the future.

Bring on the electric, hybrid and flex-fuel vehicles.

[just sayin]

10:55 AM on 12/15/2010

While states like CA goes greener and more broke, more than half of the new jobs in the country over the past year were in Texas. If green jobs were really viable, wouldn't we be seeing the reverse?

This may not be the best time to be doing these things. Put it on hold until the recovery is a bit stronger.

[tleb]

11:20 AM on 12/15/2010

Not necessarily... in fact, your argument is not very logical at all.

[jokerdanny]

11:23 AM on 12/15/2010

No. Some regulations cost jobs. That's the price we pay, and we like it that way. Stop signs impede Wal Mart trucks. But we prefer that to being squashed at intersections. The same with clean air regs. We would rather have more expensive energy and clean air. There's plenty of wealth to go around...I saw it, I lived it...then they shipped the jobs overseas. More people are working now than ever before...just not here. We don't need to choke while trying to fix the economy.

[SuperEd]

10:55 AM on 12/15/2010

Another strong argument for the Air Car.

[Cutiepieblue]

10:52 AM on 12/15/2010

Something really needs to be done. I live in part of oil country in Texas. While I don't personally work in the oil field I do know something has got to be done about all this. When the bottom of my white shower curtain (over a course of time) is turning orange because of the water something is not right.

[tleb]

11:21 AM on 12/15/2010

I'd be more worried about the chemicals that are odorless, tasteless and colorless...

[kareemachan]

10:35 AM on 12/15/2010

This happened in Texas? I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you. And Guv Bighair thinks that the EPA is too harsh as it is. :How many more tons of pollutants would it take to change his mind, I wonder.

[Cutiepieblue]

10:50 AM on 12/15/2010

Too many Oil Men in the capital is what happened.

[jws2346]

10:31 AM on 12/15/2010

just more "feel goodism bull poop" I kin feel em' shakin' way over here.

[CurrencyIsKing]

10:24 AM on 12/15/2010

When the Sierra Club sues, who gets the money?

[tleb]

11:24 AM on 12/15/2010

They generally sue to stop something from happening without study or something. If there is money, my guess is it pays for legal costs or goes to the victims. I'd send an email into the Sierra Club if you are interested CurrencylsKing.

Also, look up the Water Keepers Alliance, Pace Law School....