After 16,386 Consecutive Days Of Violating Its Clean Air Act Permits, Exxon Must Pay $14 Million Fine For Baytown Plant

Ed. And I'm sure they're cutting that check as we speak.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up ExxonMobil's appeal regarding a multimillion-dollar penalty against the oil and gas giant for thousands of environmental violations at its Baytown petrochemical plant.

The Supreme Court's denial means a December ruling from the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will remain in place. The appeals court upheld a $14.25 million penalty against Exxon for more than 16,000 Clean Air Act violations at its Baytown refinery east of Houston, which released more than 10 million pounds of pollution during an eight-year period.

The case had been pending since 2010, when Environment Texas and the Sierra Club sued Exxon in a federal court in Houston on behalf of impacted residents. The $14.25 million penalty, which Exxon must pay to the federal government, is the largest civil penalty issued in a citizen-initiated lawsuit to enforce the Clean Air Act, according to the plaintiffs.

"It's a tremendous victory for ordinary citizens who live next to illegally polluting plants," David Nicholas, an attorney for the plaintiffs, told Houston Public Media on Monday. "It's been a hard-fought battle for 16 years, and the citizens stuck it out all the way, and justice has prevailed. Hopefully, this will spur compliance with Exxon's permits and reduce pollution."

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https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/energy-environment/2025/06/30/525287/u-s-supreme-court-denies-exxons-appeal-in-14-25m-baytown-air-pollution-penalty/