Texas sues Shell, claiming fire at Houston area facility damaged environment
Fire at Shell Deer Park facility sent billows of black smoke and flames shooting from smokestacks in May
A Shell olefins unit in Deer Park, Texas, caught fire Friday afternoon. The number of injuries is still unknown, but officials say all employees have been accounted for. (Source: Ralph Espinosa)
The state of Texas filed a lawsuit against Shell for over $1 million, claiming the environment was damaged by a fire at the oil company’s Deer Park petrochemical plant.
On May 5, cracked heavy gas oil, cracked light gas oil and gasoline ignited in the olefins unit of a Shell Deer Park chemical facility, located just outside of Houston.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHEL | SHELL PLC | 65.92 | -0.40 | -0.60% |
Aerial pictures of the fire showed flames shooting from the facility’s smokestacks and huge billows of black smoke pouring from the plant.
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Texas officials reported that a fire began at a facility in the Deer Park area on May, 5, 2023. (FOX 26 Houston / Fox News)
The fire reportedly took up so much space in the sky it was visible on the National Weather Service’s radar.
FOX 26 in Houston reported that nine workers were treated and released from a hospital because of the fire.
On Aug. 7, the Texas attorney general’s office filed a lawsuit against Shell in Travis County, alleging air and water contamination and violations of state laws, including the Clean Air Act, Solid Waste Disposal Act and Water Code.
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Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez says that there was a report of an explosion at an industrial plant near Beltway 8 and Texas State Highway 225, May 5, 2023. (FOX 26 Houston)
In the lawsuit, the state claims heavy black smoke contaminated the environment. It also claims the millions of gallons of water used to extinguish the fire were illegally discharged into a lake, storm water pond, and wastewater treatment facility, then made its way into the Houston Ship Channel.
"This is a lawsuit to enforce Texas laws enacted to safeguard the state’s air resources, human health and the environment against pollution and to protect the quality of water in the state," the lawsuit read.
A spokesperson for the oil giant said Shell is aware of the lawsuit but does not comment on pending litigation.
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"The Deer Park chemicals facility remains in a recovery phase as we continue to investigate the cause of the fire and rebuild the damaged portion of the plant," spokesperson Natalie Gunnell said.