The State of Texas has filed a lawsuit against several major chemical manufacturers, alleging years of plastic pellet pollution and repeated wastewater violations at a Gulf Coast petrochemical complex.
The lawsuit, filed in Travis County district court by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on behalf of the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, targets Dow Hydrocarbons and Resources LLC, its subsidiary Union Carbide Corporation, and Braskem America Inc..
State officials allege the companies discharged plastic pellets — commonly known as “nurdles” — and other industrial waste into waterways near their manufacturing complex in Seadrift, about 130 miles southwest of Houston. The suit claims the companies have been in chronic violation of state environmental permits and water quality standards since at least 2020.
According to the state’s petition, investigators documented plastic pellets along shorelines, in canal systems and near wastewater outfalls connected to the facility. The lawsuit also alleges repeated exceedances of permitted limits for pollutants including oil and grease, chlorine and acidity levels.
Texas is seeking more than $1 million in civil penalties, along with a court order requiring the companies to halt unauthorized discharges, clean up affected areas and conduct an independent audit of wastewater and discharge practices.
The legal action follows a notice of intent to sue issued late last year by environmental advocates under the federal Clean Water Act. Under federal law, a state enforcement action can limit the ability of private groups to pursue separate litigation if regulators are actively prosecuting the case.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Union Carbide said the company works closely with regulators to comply with environmental laws but declined to comment on pending litigation. Representatives for Dow and Braskem did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Environmental groups have long raised concerns about plastic pellet pollution along the Texas coast, saying the small resin beads can persist in marine environments, harm wildlife and accumulate in bays and estuaries.
The lawsuit marks one of the most significant recent state-level enforcement actions involving plastic pellet pollution in Texas, a state that is home to one of the nation’s largest petrochemical manufacturing hubs.