Environmental Groups Sue Shell Oil Company

Shell Oil Company’s Houston-area plant has been illegally spewing a wide range of harmful emissions into the air in violation of its permitted limits and the Clean Air Act on the average of more than once a week for the last five years, resulting in the release of millions of pounds of excess air pollutants, according to a lawsuit filed this week by Environment Texas and the Sierra Club.

“Because the state of Texas and the U.S. EPA have both failed to put a stop to these blatant violations, ordinary citizens are stepping up to enforce the law themselves,” said ET Executive Director Luke Metzger in a statement.

Sierra Club member and small business owner Karla Land added, “I live and work downwind from Shell, in Channelview. My family and my employees simply can’t afford to breathe in any more air pollution.” The lawsuit addresses so-called upset events at Shell’s 1500-acre oil refinery and petrochemical plant, when emissions exceeding permitted limits can be vented during equipment breakdowns, malfunctions, and other nonroutine incidents.

For years, watchdogs have suspected refiners of exploiting upset situations to cut costs and pollute more. Among the pollutants reportedly released are substances known to contribute to respiratory illness, aggravate heart and lung disease, cause acid rain, and form harmful ozone. More than 150,000 pounds of known carcinogens Benzene and 1,3-butadiene have also been released into the air since 2003.