TCEQ faults Orange company for emissions release

An Orange chemical company was fined more than $18,000 on July 26, according to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), for failure to prevent unauthorized emissions by Lion Elastomers, 5713 FM 1006 in Orange. The company released 33,046 pounds of volatile organic compounds (commonly referred to as VOCs) during an emissions event on Aug. 24, 2021, which lasted 1 hour and 15 minutes, stated the report.

Chemicals that are considered VOCs and can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, cause breathing difficulty, and cancer.

TCEQ reported the emissions event could have been avoided by better design or operational and maintenance practices.