Westlake Chemical has agreed to a $205,000 penalty to settle alleged decade-old air quality violations involving carcinogens, other unpermitted toxic chemical emissions and procedural breakdowns at the plastic maker's large, but troubled Lake Charles South plant.
The proposed settlement of dozens of self-reported violations would be the largest that the state Department of Environmental Quality has reached so far this year. Total settlements in 2025 have involved close to 80 companies.
The alleged violations occurred between 2014 and 2018 at the nearly 80-year-old complex, but the majority occurred between 2014 and mid-2016, when the facility wasn't owned by Westlake but by the Axiall Corporation.
Westlake bought Axiall for $3.8 billion on Aug. 31, 2016.
"Since acquiring and becoming

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