Shell to spend millions to reduce pollution

Shell to spend millions to reduce pollution By Matthew Tresaugue Shell Oil Co. on Wednesday agreed to spend about $160 million to settle legal complaints about chronic pollution problems at its refinery and petrochemical plant along the Houston Ship Channel. Luke Metzger, director of Environment Texas, said Shell's agreement with the EPA builds on the earlier settlement. "Our goals in filing these suits was first to get Shell and others to stop breaking the law and polluting, but also to press the state and federal government to step up their enforcement of refineries and chemical plants," he said. "We're succeeding on both fronts." Environment Texas and the Sierra Club also have filed a similar suit over emissions at Exxon Mobil's Baytown complex, which includes a refinery and two chemical plants.