"Facing multiple lawsuits, Dow requests an “unprecedented” permit amendment to authorize its discharge of polyethylene pellets into coastal waters."
"Two weeks ago, when Texas sued a massive Dow petrochemical plant over water pollution, state environmental regulators were already considering a novel proposal from the company that would effectively legalize discharges of plastic material from the 4,700–acre complex into waters feeding San Antonio Bay and the Gulf of Mexico.
If approved by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, it could set a precedent for authorizing discharges of materials like polyethylene pellets and PVC powder from other plastics manufacturing facilities, legal experts said.
Dow and its subsidiary, Union Carbide Corporation, requested the tweak to its wastewater permit in a 320-page application filed Jan. 4—three weeks after a citizen group announced plans to sue the companies over unpermitted plastic pollution. The TCEQ posted the application for public comment in February.
“Dow/UCC’s latest request is unprecedented,” said Rebecca Ramirez, a Houston-based attorney at the nonprofit Earthjustice, who is representing the citizen group, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper. “We are not aware of any other instance where TCEQ has granted such an exception.”"
Dylan Baddour reports for Inside Climate News March 2, 2026.
