Dutch chemical giant LyondellBasell Industries plans to cut air pollution from its six chemical sites in Clinton in Iowa and Channelview, Corpus Christi, and LaPorte in Texas. The plan is expected to remove thousands of tons of air pollution from flares. It came as part of compliance measures to resolve allegations that these plants had violated the US Clean Air Act and state air pollution control laws. The company will also pay a $3.4 million civil penalty.
The settlement requires LyondellBasell’s three US subsidiaries to install and operate air pollution control and monitoring technology to cut flaring and the resulting volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hazardous air pollutants from 21 flares at the six facilities. Once fully implemented, the pollution controls are estimated to cut emissions of greenhouse gases, including CO2, methane, and ethane, by almost 92,000 tons/year. The settlement is also aimed to reduce emissions of ozone-forming VOCs by almost 2,700 tons/year and of toxic air pollutants, including benzene, by nearly 400 tons/year.
