1/ NEW: The Port Neches chemical plant where two explosions and an ongoing fire prompted widespread mandatory evacuations Wednesday has a years-long history of state and federal environmental violations. bit.ly/2KZJjTw
2/ The facility has been considered a high priority violator by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for more than two years, and been out of compliance with federal clean air laws since the agency’s last inspection in August 2017. bit.ly/2KZJjTw
3/ State data shows the facility has reported spewing more air pollution than allowed by its government-issued permits five times this year, including hundreds of pounds of butadiene. bit.ly/2KZJjTw
4/ Together, the EPA and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have issued fines for air emissions violations more than half a dozen times in the past five years after finding many of the missteps preventable. bit.ly/2KZJjTw
5/5 But environmental and consumer advocacy groups on Wednesday said that those penalties — which add up to less than $200,000 — are nowhere near enough to deter a company that brings in billions of dollars a year from taking corrective actions. bit.ly/2KZJjTw
