BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality agreed to a settlement with the Dow Chemical Company.
In December 2018, the department gave the Dow Chemical plant a compliance order and notice of a potential penalty. By 2021, the department issued another penalty notice. The plant denied committing any violations, but still agreed to pay a $120,000 fine.
The state agency inspected the plants’ compliance with the Act and the Air Quality Regulations. According to the filing, reports show that pollutants were released into the air, some equipment failed to function, and chemicals were leaked. All of the violations that were reported started in 2013.
In 2023, a chemical plant in Plaquemine experienced an explosion followed by a fire in the Glycol 2 Unit.
“The Settlement Agreement represents the negotiated resolution of self-reported violations over a several-year period of time which were disclosed by Dow to LDEQ without need of any LDEQ surveillance or enforcement effort or expense and resolved by Dow and LDEQ in accordance with LDEQ’s regulatory enforcement guidelines,” said Dow Louisiana spokesperson Glynna Mayers.
The settlement agreement was subject to a 45-day public comment period and was submitted to the Attorney General for review and concurrence.
According to the department, each violation has different settlement options based on the severity of the violation. The settlement costs can be classified as minor, moderate, or major. The fines can cost between $100 to $32,500.
