DEER PARK (1080 KRLD) - Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg says her office filed five environmental criminal charges against Intercontinental Terminals Company. The company's Deer Park refinery tanks caught on fire on March 17, 2019.
In a new release, Ogg is quoted as saying, "People living in Deer Park and the other neighboring residential areas near ITC’s plant deserve protection too," Ogg said. "When public health is at risk, it’s a public safety concern."
Her office says the company’s makeshift dike broke, sending large quantities of xylene and benzene into Tucker Bayou which flows directly into the Galveston Bay. The Environmental Crimes Division says the water pollution in Tucker Bayou was at criminal levels from March 17 through March 21.
Environmental Crimes Division Chief prosecutor Alex Forrest is quoted as saying, "The discharge from the ITC fire into Tucker Bayou is a clear water pollution case. We are looking forward to reviewing the reports of other local and federal agencies, as they complete their investigations, so that we can determine if other charges will follow."
ITC could face a fine of up to $100,000 per each of the five charges filed.