How many time does someone have to commit a crime before they’re considered a serial criminal? Is one repeat offense enough? Does three show a disdain for the law? Is four over the top? What about 16,386 times? Because that’s how many times Exxon has violated the Clean Air Act.
A Texas judged ordered Exxon Mobil to pay $19.9 million in fines on Wednesday … Exxon illegally released more than 10 million pounds of pollutants, including carcinogens and respiratory irritants like sulfur dioxide. In total, the court found Exxon had violated the Clean Air Act 16,386 times, with each violation carrying a fine of up to $37,500 per day.
Note that the massive total of violations isn’t Exxon. It’s just one Exxon plant. It’s unlikely that Texas officials would have initiated the suit, as Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has followed in the Scott Pruitt mold of attacking the EPA while defending oil and gas companies. Paxton even filed a “friend of the court” brief in support of Exxon when that company was under investigation by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey for covering up evidence of climate change.
The ruling against Exxon’s Clean Air Act violations came entirely because of a citizen lawsuit by environmental groups.
U.S. District Court Judge David Hittner issued the ruling in a citizen lawsuit brought under the U.S. Clean Air Act by two environmental groups, Environment Texas and the Sierra Club.
The CEO of Exxon at the time of the violations was now Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has moved on from ignoring laws in Texas to trying to get laws ignored in Russia.
It’s clear that the truly cold and ruthless form of Rex will continue to seek ways to complete his $500 billion deal with Vladimir Putin.
But in the meantime, the T. Rexes that protested that other Rex can give a small roar of triumph.