Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's office filed suit Friday against Dow Chemical Co., North America's largest chemical manufacturer, accusing the company and partners of hundreds of water-pollution violations tied to a sprawling industrial complex in Seadrift on Texas' Gulf Coast.
The state's 46-page lawsuit comes after a 60-day notice of intent to sue was filed in December by environmental activist Diane Wilson. The state's action could effectively shield Dow and its affiliates by superseding a citizen suit seeking stronger cleanup demands under the federal Clean Water Act.
Texas alleges Dow, its subsidiary Union Carbide and Brazilian petrochemical firm Braskem "have been in habitual non-compliance" with pollution permits at the chemical manufacturing complex about 80 miles northeast of Corpus Christi.
The companies "have violated, and continue to violate, the Texas Water Code, the Texas Solid Waste Disposal Act, and regulations and permits" since at least 2020, the lawsuit claims, citing alleged unauthorized wastewater discharges, improper disposal of industrial solid waste and failures to report violations.
In a statement obtained by The Texas Tribune, a spokesperson for Union Carbide Corp. said the company "works closely with state and federal regulators to ensure compliance with all existing laws and regulations. While UCC cannot comment on the specifics of pending litigation, the company is committed to responsible operations."
Wilson called the state's lawsuit "a sweetheart deal with industry," saying it was "much weaker than our intended Clean Water suit both on compliance and finding a solution to the decades of plastic pollution pouring from that facility."
Wilson's nonprofit, San Antonio Bay Estuarine Waterkeeper, spent the past year collecting evidence it says shows chronic plastic pollution in local waterways.
"It's just everywhere you look," Wilson, 78, told the Tribune in early February while walking along the Victoria Barge Canal. "It is unbelievable."
The Clean Water Act allows citizens to sue over alleged violations when regulators fail to act but it requires 60-day notice first.
"If the state files its own lawsuit, the citizens are legally precluded from filing their own, unless the state fails to diligently prosecute that lawsuit," Josh Kratka, managing attorney at the National Environmental Law Center in Washington, D.C., told the outlet. "It's a tactic used by Texas and other states to prevent citizens from doing their own citizen lawsuits."
Dow's Seadrift site spans about 4,700 acres in Calhoun County and produces plastics and chemicals used in products ranging from antifreeze to cosmetics.
Texas is asking the court to order Dow to immediately "cease any and all unauthorized discharges," clean up surrounding lands and waters within 60 days, and commission an independent audit submitted to state regulators.
Newsmax has reached out to Dow for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.