New evidence suggests it bent the law until it broke.

In a Texas town, a Koch-owned chemical plant spent years evading the Clean Air Act.

In 2017 and the first half of 2018, Oxbow Calcining in Port Arthur, Texas, released emissions that often spiked above the federal limit, regularly setting off an air monitor nearby.

A GRIST INVESTIGATION

By Naveena Sadasivam and Clayton Aldern

When the monitor recorded a spike in emissions, Oxbow employees received notifications on their phones. They used this information to alter the facility’s operation to prevent the monitor from detecting emissions.

Employees shut down the facility’s kilns when winds blew in the direction of the monitor. But when the wind was not blowing Oxbow’s pollutants toward the monitor, the facility did not alter its operations.

By ensuring that the monitor was incapable of recording a comprehensive view of the facility’s emissions, experts say Oxbow evaded environmental law and continued to deteriorate air quality in the area.

Studies have shown that even short-term exposure to sulfur dioxide can increase the risk of strokes, asthma, and hospitalization.      The asthma rate in West Port Arthur, which is more than 90 percent Black, is 70 percent higher than the national average, according to federal data.      Black residents in Jefferson County, where Oxbow is located, are 15 percent more likely to develop cancer and 40 percent more likely to die from it compared to the average Texan.

The 1970 Clean Air Act reduced sulfur dioxide levels nationwide by 92 percent over the last three decades. But the bill gives “grandfathered” facilities like the Oxbow plant an exception to retain higher emission limits.

The facility remains the sixth-largest polluter in Texas.

Written by Naveena Sadasivam Data Reporting: Clayton Aldern Illustration: Amelia Bates Data visualization: Jessie Blaeser Photography: Jaque Jackson Produced by Grist Audience

In a Texas town, a Koch-owned chemical plant spent years evading the Clean Air Act. 

New evidence suggests it bent the law until it broke.

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