The Texas attorney general's office filed a lawsuit against Valero Energy, seeking to penalize the company for five years of allegedly excessive emissions at its Port Arthur refinery, the San Antonio Business Journal reported.
The lawsuit blames mismanagement at the facility, whose "poor operational, maintenance and design practices continue to cause emissions events and unauthorized emissions of air contaminants."
Port Arthur has violated air quality permits at least 38 times since 2014, including 13 instances that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality issued orders against the company, the lawsuit contends.
"Despite the enforcement taken by the TCEQ and EPA against defendants for past emissions events, defendants’ poor operational, maintenance and design practices continue to cause emissions events and unauthorized emissions of air contaminants from the refinery into the environment," according to the lawsuit.
"Valero is committed to working cooperatively with the TCEQ and Attorney General to resolve the state of Texas’ enforcement concerns," Lillian Riojas said in an email to the San Antonio Business Journal. "We would also note that unauthorized emissions have been reduced 96%" since 2002.
In May, environmentalists informed the company that they intended to sue the company for what they claim are hundreds of emissions events over the past five years. One such event was a 2017 fire at the refinery that Environment Texas claims released more particulate matter in the air than any other facility in the state released over the entire year.
“Valero’s Port Arthur Refinery has a poor compliance record even when compared to other Texas oil refineries, spewing out millions of pounds of dangerous pollution into surrounding neighborhoods,” said Luke Metzger, the group's executive director, in a statement announcing the intent to sue. "Port Arthur residents deserve better.”
