Texas Atty. Gen Ken Paxton (R) filed an environmental lawsuit against Intercontinental Terminals Co. LLC (ITC) on Mar. 22 following a fire that broke out at the company’s petrochemical storage facility at LaPorte near Houston on Mar. 17 and was not contained until 3 days later.
The action on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) charged ITC with violation of the Texas Clean Air Act. It said the fire caused the release of benzene and other contaminants into the atmosphere.
Short-term exposure to these chemicals can cause fatigue, dizziness, and headaches, Paxon’s office said. “Twice this week, residents of Deer Park and neighboring Galena Park were told to stay indoors because of concerns about unhealthy air quality,” it said. “Those concerns also prompted [the Deer Park Independent School District] and several other districts to cancel classes for several days.”
In an issued statement, ITC said a secondary containment wall surrounding the western tank farm adjacent to Tank 80-7 was breached on Mar. 17, releasing foam and product into a ditch running east to west on Tidal Road. The release led the company to issue shelter-in-lace recommendations to the plant’s industrial neighbors and areas adjacent to the Battleship Texas and the San Jacinto Monument State Park, the company said.
“At approximately 3:45 p.m. CST on Mar. 22, a fire reignited on Tanks 80-2, 80-3 and 80-5. The fire spread to the liquid that had escaped through the containment wall into the adjacent ditch. Firefighters on scene responded immediately by placing foam on the fires, extinguishing the flames at approximately 4:45 p.m.,” it said.
ITC said it would work with regulatory agencies and local officials to continue monitoring volatile organic compound levels in the community, which were below action levels on Mar. 23. Independence Parkway, the San Jacinto Monument, the Battleship Texas State Parks, and the Lynchburg Ferry crossing remained closed due to high VOC levels, it added.
“The state of Texas works hard to maintain good air quality and will hold ITC accountable for the damage it has done to our environment,” Paxton said. “ITC has a history of environmental violations, and this latest incident is especially disturbing and frightening.”
TCEQ continues to monitor the air quality in the affected areas about 20 miles east of Houston, his office said. The lawsuit came a day after the US Chemical Safety Board in Washington announced that it was opening an investigation into the fire. “CSB investigators will start interviews next week and plan to be on site for several days to document the scene and collect evidence,” it said on Mar. 21.
Contact Nick Snow at [email protected].