BAYTOWN, Texas – “It literally sounded like it was going to blow up and it’s concerning because what if it did? We are all dead, “Doug Wyatt said.
Loud noises, bright lights, and toxic smells. Those are some of the concerns residents say they are dealing with living close to the ExxonMobil Refinery in Baytown.
KPRC 2 reporter Re’Chelle Turner spent the day talking to Doug Wyatt, who lives on Weaver Street.
Wyatt shared videos and pictures of the nuisance. He recorded a video on Jan. 6 at around 8 a.m. and you can hear loud pops coming from the facility.
“There was like this ‘pop, pop, pop.’ I have no idea what that is. When I come out and I look, you could actually see one of the flares shooting with every pop,” he said.
He also recorded a video on Dec. 3 at around 6:20 p.m. of a bright light coming from the refinery.
“I can walk out here in the middle of the night and it’s like daylight. You could read a newspaper that’s how bright it is,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt says the plant also smells toxic sometimes.
“If I can smell it, that means it’s going inside of me. Kids riding their bicycles, it’s going inside of them as well,” he said.
Residents said the problems started last summer when ExxonMobil added a new facility to the refinery and said the problem has gotten worse.
Wyatt also has concerns about children who play in the neighborhood.
“What are we doing for them for their future?” he said.
Baytown officials say they will continue to work with ExxonMobil during the process.
“We understand that there has been a few more loud noises than the residents would like. We know that’s an inconvenience that none of us would want. Exxon is a great community partner they have made us aware of the issue,” Jason Calder, a spokesperson for the City of Baytown, said.
A spokesperson from ExxonMobil said the company started up two new chemical production units in September 2023.
In a statement, the spokesperson said:
“We are in the process of making operational modifications to improve performance and expect to complete this work in the coming months. We understand there are community questions about an increase in noise and light at the facility and apologize for any disruptions. We will continue to provide updates on our progress when possible. "
The company said they will continue to communicate with neighbors regularly to provide updates on our operations.