, the U.S. Justice Department said Tuesday. The explosions at a TPC Group plant in the coastal city of Port Neches the day before Thanksgiving 2019 prompted the evacuation of more than 50,000 people from the area, about 100 miles from Houston. Those explosions released more than 11 million pounds of extremely hazardous substances and caused more than $130 million in offsite property damage and other impacts to human health and the environment, according to a news release from the DOJ.
“TPC Group sincerely regrets the damage and disruption caused by the November 2019 incident at our Port Neches facility,' the company said via a statement on Tuesday. “Since the event, TPC Group has cooperated fully with all federal, state, and local investigations.” The company entered into a plea deal with the government on Monday and agreed to pay over $30 million in criminal fines and civil penalties.