A west Texas gas plant has been ordered to pay a $3 million criminal fine for its role in a 2018 incident that killed one employee and injured another.
Big Lake Gas Plant L.P., a subsidiary of West Texas Gas, Inc., pleaded guilty in September 2021 to one count of negligent endangerment and one count of violating the Clean Air Act. The company, represented by counsel, was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge James Wesley Hendrix.
In plea papers, the company admitted that in April 2018, the plant negligently released approximately 525 pounds of hydrogen sulfide into the ambient air. Hydrogen sulfide is a toxic gas that can compromise the human nervous system and respiratory tract and can cause life-threatening health effects if not handled properly.
One employee, identified in court documents by the initials C.T., died as a result of exposure sustained while working at the plant. Another employee, identified by the initials G.T., was injured while trying to assist C.T.
The company further admitted that it knowingly failed to properly update its risk management plan following the incident, an update required by law.
“Big Lake’s flagrant disregard of federal clean air regulations had calamitous consequences,” said U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham. “Our prayers are with the family of the employee killed in the 2018 hydrogen sulfide incident. We hope today’s sentencing brings them a measure of peace.”
The sentencing was the result of a joint investigation by the Environmental Protection Agency’s criminal enforcement program, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality’s Environmental Crimes Unit, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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Key Facts
- State: Texas
- Category: Environmental Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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