Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Monday sued a chemical plant in Freeport, Texas, over allegations of excess pollution in recent years.
The suit targets Blue Cube Operations, a subsidiary of manufacturing giant Olin that produces vinyl chloride monomer and ethylene dichloride — both used to make polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, a common type of plastic.
It alleges multiple violations of Texas’ air law following investigations by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality based on data submitted by the company. Altogether, the incidents totaled over 70,000 pounds of various unauthorized emissions.
Among the instances cited in the suit are a May 20, 2025, piping leak that released more than 8,000 pounds of chlorine gas, prompting a local shelter-in-place order and sending four people to the hospital for injuries, according to the suit.
