Ken Paxton
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton today announced that the Environmental Protection Division has already recovered a staggering $2.4 million in civil litigation for the 2021 Fiscal Year. In addition, the state receives an annual economic damage payment of over $6 million for the Deepwater Horizon event that will be collected annually through 2033 to remedy that environmental disaster.
“I am extremely honored to have a detail-oriented and dedicated team fulfilling their pledge to protect all Texans. The work coming from the Environmental Protection Division is more than just a significant source of revenue for the state; we are making Texas a better place to live,” Attorney General Paxton said. “This division minimized its costs while holding companies that impact our environment to a standard that first and foremost prioritized the lives of Texans.”
Some of the cases that contributed to this total in 2021 include:
- State of Texas and City of Dallas v. Bluestar Recycling – $55,000 and the removal of 75,000 tons of waste material
- State of Texas v. Valero Energy Partners – $245,000
- USA and State of Texas v. City of Corpus Christi – $1,136,000
The Environmental Protection Division saw a 1,500 percent increase in recovered civil litigation fees for the 2021 Fiscal Year in comparison to 2020.