Shell Sued for Refinery Pollution

Several green groups have sued Shell Oil and its affiliates, claiming the oil giant has for years released pollutants from its suburban Houston refinery that are well above state and federal limits.

In their federal lawsuit, the Sierra Club and Environment Texas claim the excess air pollutants, including toxic chemicals benzene and 1,3-butadiene, are a violation of the federal Clean Air Act.

The groups said they sued because they felt the governmental agencies responsible for monitoring Shell Oil — the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency — have failed to bring the refinery into compliance. The groups allege Shell has committed more than 1,000 violations.

“Shell has not taken the corrective action to keep the volume of emissions from being high. The technology exists to prevent most of these (unauthorized) emissions,” Neil Carman, with the Sierra Club’s Texas chapter, said at a news conference.
Shell not taking corrective action… How many communities around the world have heard that one before?