A federal appeals court upheld a $14.25 million penalty against Exxon Mobil for more than 16,000 violations of the Clean Air Act at its Baytown refinery.
Kayla Guo reports for The Texas Tribune.
In short:
- The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a 2021 ruling that Exxon Mobil must pay $14.25 million for air pollution violations at its Baytown facility.
- The violations, spanning from 2005 to 2013, resulted in 10 million pounds of excess emissions, including toxic and carcinogenic chemicals.
- The lawsuit was brought by the Sierra Club and Environment Texas after regulators failed to act, and the court affirmed residents’ right to sue polluters.
Key quote:
“This ruling affirms a bedrock principle of constitutional law that people who live near pollution-spewing industrial facilities have a personal stake in holding polluters accountable for non-compliance with federal air pollution limits, and therefore have a right to sue to enforce the Clean Air Act as Congress intended.”
— Josh Kratka, managing attorney at the National Environmental Law Center and a lead lawyer on the case
Why this matters:
Communities near industrial sites suffer health risks from unchecked pollution. This decision reinforces the ability of citizens to hold companies accountable when regulators fail to enforce environmental laws.
Related EHN coverage:
