30. AES Corp.
> Toxic hazard (pounds released x toxicity): 582,628,303
> Environmental justice, poor population share 29% – #58 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share 2% – #97 highest
> Pct. of toxic hazard from a single facility: 99% – #29 highest
AES Corp.’s IPL Petersburg power plant in Indiana is responsible for almost all of the company’s water pollution, and it has a very bad record for following its water permit requirements. It was out of compliance for 10 out of 12 recent quarters, and for eight of these it was cited for “significant violations.”
29. NextEra Energy
> Toxic hazard (pounds released x toxicity): 627,708,193
> Environmental justice, poor population share 25% – #70 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share 21% – #58 highest
> Pct. of toxic hazard from a single facility: 100% – #1 highest
Four power plants owned by NextEra Energy, all in Florida, have water pollution permits, but one of them, Gulf Clean Energy Center, is responsible for 100% of the company’s toxic wastewater discharges. It is generally in full compliance with its permit and does not have an enforcement history for water violations.
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28. LafargeHolcim
> Toxic hazard (pounds released x toxicity): 664,561,763
> Environmental justice, poor population share 33% – #47 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share 38% – #32 highest
> Pct. of toxic hazard from a single facility: 100% – #1 highest
Nearly 100% of LafargeHolcim’s toxic wastewater is released from its cement plant in Whitehall, Pennsylvania, and into waters in census tracts where a third of the population lives in poverty and 38% is minority, primarily Hispanic.
27. Renco
> Toxic hazard (pounds released x toxicity): 713,589,163
> Environmental justice, poor population share 38% – #25 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share 5% – #92 highest
> Pct. of toxic hazard from a single facility: 94% – #42 highest
Renco’s most polluting plant, a metals recycling facility, is located upstream of a community in Missouri, where 37% of the population lives below twice the poverty line. Five out of six of the company’s other polluting plants – mills, mines, and smelters – discharge pollutants into waters adjacent to poor communities, with poverty rates ranging from 35.1% to 47.3%.
26. Vistra Energy
> Toxic hazard (pounds released x toxicity): 861,167,163
> Environmental justice, poor population share 18% – #88 highest out of 100 corporations
> Environmental justice, minority population share 3% – #96 highest
> Pct. of toxic hazard from a single facility: 77% – #59 highest
Based in Texas, Vistra Energy is the largest power generation company in the country. Thirteen of the company’s power plants release toxic wastewater into their local POTW or surface waters, with over 96% discharged from two of the company’s plants in Ohio, mainly the Dynegy Miami Fort LLC plant in North Bend, where nearly a third of the population lives in poverty.
