Exxon Hit With $20 Million Penalty Over Baytown Emissions

ExxonMobil Corp. was slapped with a nearly $20 million fine for violating the Clean Air Act at the nation’s largest petrochemical complex.

Environmental advocates brought a citizen lawsuit against Exxon over thousands of alleged violations at the company’s Baytown refining and petrochemical complex, which the advocates said resulted in the release of illegal levels of benzene, sulfur dioxide and other pollutants. The judge’s decision illustrates the importance of citizen enforcement lawsuits, especially in the current regulatory climate, environmentalists said.

Judge David Hittner of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, in a judgment issued ...