Pollution Fines Just A Business Expense In Texas

We known for a while now that Texas is one of the worst states pollution wise. In production of greenhouse gases, Texas leads the nation and if it were a country, it would be seventh in the world in greenhouse gas pollution. But that's not the only kind of pollution being dumped into Texas skies and water.

The oil, gas and chemical companies are dumping all kinds of poisons and cancer-causing chemicals into the environment, such as sulfuric acid, carbon monoxide, benzene and many other substances. Making matters even worse, the companies will try to hide their pollution and even lie about it when it is discovered.

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) makes a feeble effort to control this pollution by levying fines for the pollution they discover. In 2009, they levied 1,750 fines totaling $14.5 million. But that's just a drop in the bucket when you consider the huge profits these companies are making. Consider that Exxon Mobil was fined $1.1 million for 23 separate violations in 2009. But they made $45.2 billion in profit for 2008 and will top that for 2009.

Frankly, the pitiful fines levied by the TCEQ is doing nothing to stop the pollution. The fines are so small compared to profits, that the companies just consider it a cost of doing business -- a cost that is cheaper than cleaning up their way of doing things.

As Matthew Tejada, director of Galveston/Houston Association for Smog Prevention, says, "The TCEQ still has not changed the long-standing principle in Texas that you can pay to pollute. They have taken little steps forward, but for the big companies out there, it's just a drop in the bucket. The penalty system in Texas is not making it worth companies' while to actually clean up."

Of course, that is just how our Republican state leadership want it. Without exception, they always side with their corporate buddies against ordinary Texans. After all, they consider the illness and deaths of Texas citizens to be little cost when protecting the exorbitant profits of the polluting corporations. And it will stay that way as long as the Republicans stay in power.

Here are the top ten Texas polluters, along with the fines they paid and the number of their known violations:

1. Total Petrochemical USA Inc.: $1.58 million (11)

2. Dow Chemical Co.: $1.14 million (8)

3. Exxon Mobil Corp.: $1.1 million (23)

4. Shell Oil Co.: $684,174 (5)

5. BP PLC: $662,650 (2)

6. BASF Fina Petrochemicals: $603,628 (5)

7. Chevron: $568,910 (18)

8. Enterprise Products Operating LLC, $551,550 (2)

9. Valero Energy Corp.: $354,896 (8)

10. Dupont Co.: $306,544 (11)