LyondellBasell air pollution settlement reached

26 August 2008 22:05  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--A $6.5m settlement with LyondellBasell's chemical subsidiaries for air quality violations in Texas is still subject to court approval, a spokesperson for the state attorney general’s office said on Tuesday

The proposed agreement will be posted for a 30-day public comment period before it goes to a court for approval, said spokesperson Lauri Saathoff.

The Texas Commission on Environment Quality (TCEQ), in a series of investigations dating back to January 2002, found seven petrochemicals plants operated by Equistar and Millennium violated the Texas Clean Air Act, according to the lawsuit filed by the attorney general on behalf of TCEQ.

The plants include Millennium’s LaPorte site and Equistar’s LaPorte facility, Channelview, Chocolate Bayou, Bayport, Corpus Christi and Beaumont sites.

Saathoff said the Texas attorney general has no other cases pending against petrochemical plants.

The agreed final judgment stipulates that Equistar and Millennium will each pay the state $3.25m (€2.21m) in penalties for failing to prevent the release of harmful pollutants into the air.

The settlement amount includes $500,000 from Equistar and Millennium for environmental projects.

Equistar and Millennium would each pay an additional $250,000 in attorneys' fees to the state under the settlement.

($1 = €0.68)

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By: David Barry
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