Shell Oil Company is one of the two worst polluters in the Houston area (the other is Exxon Mobil), and they just keep on doing it regardless of actions by the state. That's why two environmental groups filed suit in federal court on Monday against the company.
The Sierra Club and Environment Texas Citizen Lobby have filed suit on behalf of the citizens of Texas. They want the company to stop violating federal and state regulations by dumping millions of pounds of pollutants into the air, including toxins that cause cancer and respiratory problems.
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has the duty to see that companies like Shell don't violate the law and pollute. But the Republicans running this state agency have not done a very good job.
TCEQ says they have 60 violations pending against the company. That doesn't seem to have even slowed down the polluting. The environmental groups have discovered that the company admits to over 1000 pollution "accidents" in the last few years. Every now and then, TCEQ will fine the company, but nothing changes.
The company just figures these inadequate fines are a part of doing business. It is cheaper to just pay the fines than to actually clean up their act. As long as this is true, they will just keep polluting.
That's why the suit was filed. Someone must make the company stop its polluting. If TCEQ won't do it, then maybe a federal lawsuit will.
This is a prime example of a corporate giant and Republican leadership putting profits before the health and safety of Texas citizens. Make no mistake -- Shell's pollution is not harmless. It is adversly affecting the health of people in the area.
The only reason Shell and other corporations continue to pollute the air and water in Texas, is because the TCEQ allows them to do so. We must replace the corporate-bought Republican leadership in our state.
