Chevron Phillips will pay $6,563 to the state and contribute $6,562 to a supplemental environmental project benefiting low-income homeowners.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality approved a $13,125 penalty against Chevron Phillips Chemical Company on Wednesday for unauthorized emissions at its Port Arthur facility in 2022.
The company released 597 pounds of volatile organic compounds from a de-coke drum on June 10, 2022, during an incident that lasted three minutes. The emission violation occurred at the facility located at 2001 South Gulfway Drive in Port Arthur.
Under the agreed order, Chevron Phillips will pay $6,563 to the state and contribute $6,562 to a supplemental environmental project benefiting low-income homeowners through weatherization programs.
The supplemental project involves a contribution to the Southeast Texas Regional Planning Commission for the Lighthouse Program Project, which will hire contractors to conduct initial inspections of eligible low-income homes to determine their suitability for weatherization and energy efficiency upgrades.
“The environmental benefit of this project is expected to be a reduction in residential fuel and electricity usage, leading to reduced emissions of particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, and nitrogen oxides,” according to TCEQ documents.
The TCEQ commissioners approved the penalty through a consent vote with no discussion on the specific item during Wednesday’s meeting.
Prior to the meeting, Chevron Phillips had already implemented corrective actions including setting the Adams Valve position indication, creating operator guidance documents to examine the valve indicator before certain operations, and conducting awareness training to prevent similar emissions events.
