Exxon Mobil Fined $21 Million For Violating Clean Air Act 16,386 Times

A Texas judged ordered Exxon Mobil to pay $19.9 million in fines on Wednesday after finding one of the company’s refining and chemical plants illegally spewed millions of pounds of pollutants into the air. Conservation groups Environment Texas and the Sierra Club sued Exxon in 2010, saying the energy giant failed to implement technology that would curb emissions at its Baytown, Texas complex between 2005 and 2013. The groups said Exxon gained more than $14 million in economic benefits during the delay and flouted provisions of the Clean Air Act. U.S. District Judge David Hittner agreed, finding Exxon illegally released more than 10 million pounds of pollutants, including carcinogens and respiratory irritants like sulfur dioxide. In total, the court found Exxon had violated the Clean Air Act 16,386 times, with each violation carrying a fine of up to $37,500 per day. Hittner ultimately fined the company more than $21 million ― an amount that the plaintiffs had proposed. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which regulates the Baytown complex, had already fined Exxon $1.4 million for the pollution, so the judge ordered penalties in the amount of $19.9 million, as well as the plaintiff’s attorney fees. Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, said he believed the ruling was one of, if not the, largest civil penalties ever imposed in an environmental citizen enforcement case. Under the Clean Air Act, the Environmental Protection Agency allows anyone in ...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news