Air Alliance Houston Statement on the LyondellBasell Plant Fire in Pasadena, Texas (March 12, 2026)
Media contact: Trisha Morales, [email protected], 832-990-2377
HOUSTON AREA – A fire occurred in the late evening on Thursday, March 12, 2026 at the LyondellBasell Bayport Choate facility near Pasadena and LaPorte, Texas after repeated notifications of industrial flaring.
Air Alliance Houston has issued the following statement in response:
We are grateful to the first responders who contained this fire and relieved that there were no injuries or worse. However, we are equally concerned about the conditions that led to this incident and about its impact on local air quality and the well-being of surrounding communities.
Chemical fires not only release harmful Particulate Matter (PM) pollution while they burn but also any of the toxic chemicals made or in use at the facility. According to a statement by local officials, a valve releasing chemicals from the plant had to be shut off during the fire. It will be at least 24 hours before Lyondell submits a full report of the type and volume of such chemicals released by and during the fire. Since exposure to air pollutants can impact health even in short doses, we urge anyone who was in the vicinity of the fire and experiencing health issues to seek medical attention.
Juan Flores, Air Alliance Houston’s Director of Program and resident of the portside community of Galena Park, which was upwind from the fire, said: “I am positive that Pasadena and La Porte residents, seeing the flames coming out Lyondell in the middle of the night, were bracing for the worst and worried about what they were breathing. How many of these incidents have to happen before the EPA or TCEQ takes action to better protect us? It’s just not right.”
Air Alliance Houston released a report earlier this year examining emissions events like the fire at Lyondell. The analysis found that about 250 such events occur every year in the Houston area, releasing a total of 50 million pounds of air pollutants. Despite these data (which are self-reported by the companies themselves), our state regulatory agency, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), continues to allow them to operate with minimal to no adjustments to their permits.
Furthermore, this incident comes just two (2) days after a federal hearing on a Trump EPA proposal to weaken protections against chemical facility accidents. With rollbacks like this underway, it falls to the companies to step up their own efforts to prevent chemical release events. It is imperative that Lyondell (and all such “RMP” facilities) make air quality and community safety the top priority they say it is and prevent these events from happening.
Lyondell’s Bayport Choate facility had 30 emergency response events on record before today’s event and as recently as 2022. They have spent 4 of the last 12 quarters in noncompliance with the Clean Air Act and are one of the top 20 highest air toxics emitters in Harris County. Yet, the TCEQ continues to renew their air permit.
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” said Jennifer Hadayia, Executive Director of Air Alliance Houston. “Our community should not have to live in fear of the next chemical accident, and they should not have to suffer the health effects of air pollution from flaring and fires. We need stronger mandatory safety regulations and a regulator willing to put people over polluters.”
To comment on the EPA”s proposed rollback to the chemical safety rules, please visit the EPA’s website. The comment period is open until April 10, 2026.
About Air Alliance Houston
Air Alliance Houston is a non-profit advocacy organization working to reduce the public health impacts from air pollution and advance environmental justice through applied research, education, and advocacy. For more information and resources, please visit www.airalliancehouston.org.