BP Products to Pay Nearly $180 Million to Settle Clean Air Violations at Texas City Refinery

The U.S. Department of Justice reports in its press release (quotation, not an independent finding): “WASHINGTON—BP Products North America Inc. has agreed to spend more than $161 million on pollution controls, enhanced maintenance and monitoring, and improved internal management practices to resolve Clean Air Act violations at its Texas City, Texas, refinery, the Justice Department and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today. The company will also pay a $12 million civil penalty and spend $6 million on a supplemental project to reduce air pollution in Texas City. Today’s settlement addresses the company’s noncompliance with a 2001 consent decree and Clean Air Act regulations requiring strict controls on benzene and benzene-containing wastes generated during petroleum refining operations. The company is required to upgrade control equipment and processes used to handle these materials and conduct in-depth audits to ensure compliance and minimize the amount of benzene-containing wastes generated at the refinery. It is estimated that these actions will reduce emissions of benzene and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by approximately 6,000 pounds annually. “The Department of Justice and the EPA will aggressively pursue those who fail to comply with the laws that protect our environment, and we will hold them accountable,” said John C. Cruden, Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This new agreement requires stringent new measures to protect air quality and public health in Texas beyond those originally required at the Texas City Refinery.” “BP failed to fulfill its obligations under ”