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Exxon is quietly planning a new $8.6 billion plastics plant in Texas

Summary

Exxon has applied for tax subsidies to build an $8.6 billion plastics plant in Point Comfort, Texas, raising concerns among environmentalists and local residents. The proposed facility, which would produce plastic pellets, ethylene, and other chemicals, is planned near existing industrial sites that have long polluted the area. Activists warn that the project will worsen air and water contamination in a community already suffering from industrial pollution. Exxon claims the plant will create 300 jobs, but critics argue that massive tax incentives for a highly profitable company are unjustified. Financial analysts also question the long-term viability of new plastics production as global demand shifts away from fossil fuel-based materials. Local activist Diane Wilson, who previously won a landmark pollution settlement against Formosa Plastics in the area, vows to fight Exxon’s plans, fearing the plant will further harm the environment and local fishing industries.

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