Texas officials on Tuesday sued owners of a Houston area petrochemical storage f...
HOUSTON - Texas officials on Tuesday sued owners of a Houston area petrochemical storage facility over a fire last week, alleging violations of environmental laws and seeking damages to cover response costs for the disaster that burned for days, releasing chemicals into the air and waterways.
“We have been working with state and federal partners to hold ITC responsible for the damages,” Harris County Chief Executive Lina Hidalgo said on Tuesday at a hearing where local residents pushed for a response to the disaster that sent tons of carbon monoxide into the air and chemicals into waterways. Schools were closed and visits to area hospitals and clinics spiked.
“ITC and our ERT responded immediately and we called both CIMA and surrounding municipalities for additional firefighting resources,” said ITC Senior Vice President Brent Weber. “Right now, we’re just focused on the recovery effort.”The spill of fuels, water and fire suppressant foam from the site halted traffic on a stretch of the Houston Ship Channel connecting Houston to the Gulf of Mexico. Restrictions on travel near the ITC site forced at least two refineries to curb production this week.
Last week, schools in Houston suburbs were closed for several days after air quality monitors detected elevated levels of benzene, a cancer-causing chemical that was contained in ITC tanks that burned.
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