Skip to main content

Texas company fined $30 million for 2019 chemical explosion near Beaumont

Two explosions at TPC Group’s facility in Port Neches injured workers and triggered the evacuation of more than 50,000 people.

By Associated Press
A process tower flies through the air after exploding at the TPC Group Petrochemical Plant, after an earlier massive explosion sparked a blaze at the plant in Port Neches on Nov. 27, 2019.
A process tower flies through the air after exploding at the TPC Group Petrochemical Plant, following an earlier massive explosion that sparked a blaze at the plant in Port Neches on Nov. 27, 2019. Credit: REUTERS/Erwin Seba

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news.

BEAUMONT — A Texas petrochemical company has pleaded guilty to a violation of the Clean Air Act and agreed to pay more than $30 million in connection with two explosions that injured workers and caused the evacuation of thousands, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday.

The explosions at a TPC Group plant in the coastal city of Port Neches the day before Thanksgiving 2019 prompted the evacuation of more than 50,000 people from the area, about 100 miles from Houston.

Those explosions released more than 11 million pounds of extremely hazardous substances and caused more than $130 million in offsite property damage and other impacts to human health and the environment, according to a news release from the DOJ.

“TPC Group sincerely regrets the damage and disruption caused by the November 2019 incident at our Port Neches facility," the company said via a statement on Tuesday. “Since the event, TPC Group has cooperated fully with all federal, state, and local investigations.”

The company entered into a plea deal with the government on Monday and agreed to pay over $30 million in criminal fines and civil penalties. The plan also includes spending about $80 million to improve its risk management program and improve safety issues at TPC Group’s Port Neches and Houston facilities.

“Today’s guilty plea shows that businesses that choose to place profits over safeguards and legal compliance will face serious consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Damien M. Diggs for the Eastern District of Texas.

We’ve got big things in store for you at The Texas Tribune Festival, happening Sept. 5–7 in downtown Austin. Join us for three days of big, bold conversations about politics, public policy and the day’s news.

Texans need truth. Help us report it.

Independent Texas reporting needs your support. The Texas Tribune delivers fact-based journalism for Texans, by Texans — and our community of members, the readers who donate, make our work possible. Help us bring you and millions of others in-depth news and information. Will you support our nonprofit newsroom with a donation of any amount?

Yes, I'll donate today

Information about the authors

Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.

Explore related story topics

Energy Environment