Activist Groups Threaten to Sue ExxonMobil Over Emissions at Baytown, Texas, Refinery

HOUSTON—Two environmental organizations have issued a notice of intent to sue Exxon Mobil Corp. for emitting over 10 million pounds of toxic pollutants including benzene, butadiene, and carbon monoxide from its Baytown, Texas, refinery and chemical plant complex during the past five years, which would be in violation of the federal Clean Air Act.

The Sierra Club and Environment Texas said Exxon Mobil’s Baytown facility operated under controversial “flexible permits” issued by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, which has been criticized by environmental groups and the Environmental Protection Agency for failing to set sufficiently strict emission limits, among other ...