Huntsman Corporation
Profile
Huntsman Corporation is a chemical manufacturer. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, it expanded by buying up Texaco’s chemicals business in 1994 and Imperial Chemical Industries’ (ICI) chemical business in 1999. (The rest of Texaco merged with Chevron and ICI merged into AkzoNobel). Huntsman became infamous in 1997 after it attempted to clean up an old polymer plant in Odessa, Texas, by setting fire to thousands of pounds of waste chemicals like benzene, butadiene, ethylene and propylene. Community members filed over 3,500 complaints of health problems such as bloody noses, trouble breathing, nausea and sued the company. Huntsman eventually agreed to pay $3 million in compensation to 4,000 individuals.
Consumer and industrial chemicals
Violations
| Top 5 Offense Groups (Groups Defined) | Penalty Total | Number of Records |
|---|---|---|
| environment-related offenses | $20,159,791 | 70 |
| safety-related offenses | $349,600 | 39 |
| employment-related offenses | $286,896 | 2 |
(September 30, 2022)
Stories
Activism
Workers of a Swiss plant of U.S. chemical company Huntsman carry a banner during a demonstration in Basel
Arnd Weigmann | Reuters | October 29, 2011
Some thousand participants protested against planned job cuts at Huntsman, Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG and other companies. The banner is showing Walt Disney's comic character Scrooge McDuck and reading: 'You're gambling away our future !'.
- A Community Voice
- Alliance for Affordable Energy
- Climate Reality New Orleans
- Coalition Against Death Alley
- Healthy Gulf
- Justice and Beyond
- Louisiana Bucket Brigade
- Louisiana League of Conscious Voters
- New Orleans Office Sierra Club
- Poor Peoples Campaign
- SouthWings
- Sunrise Movement, New Orleans
- RISE St. James
- 350 New Orleans
& Lawsuits
$90 Billion Whistleblower Suit Filed Against Four of the Nation's Largest Chemical Companies
Lorraine Chow | EcoWatch | September 16, 2016
Four of the country's largest chemical companies have been accused of selling billions of dollars worth of harmful isocyanate chemicals but intentionally concealing their dangers to consumers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) over the past several decades.
Huntsman company pays $33M to settle lawsuit
Associated Press | Deseret News | June 16, 2011
Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman was a top executive of a large chemical conglomerate that is paying $33 million to settle a lawsuit alleging price-fixing.
CHEMICAL PLANT MANAGERS SENTENCED FOR CLEAN AIR ACT VIOLATIONS
United States Department of Justice | August 14, 2002
Two former managers of the Huntsman Chemical Plant in Port Arthur, Texas received prison sentences today for violating regulations under the Clean Air Act, the Justice Department announced today. Jeffrey L. Jackson, the former plant manager for the Huntsman Chemical Plant in Port Arthur, was sentenced to 36 months in prison and fined $50,000.
Environmental Impacts
Management Alert - Prompt Action Needed to Inform Residents Living Near Ethylene Oxide-Emitting Facilities About Health Concerns and Actions to Address Those Concerns
United States Environmental Protection Agency | March 31, 2020
The EPA needs to inform residents who live near facilities with significant ethylene oxide emissions about their elevated estimated cancer risks so they can manage their health risks.
Huntsman: Report on Plastic Pellet Pollution
As You Sow | December 11, 2019
Plastic pollution is a global environmental crisis. Huntsman Corporation is one of the top 40 U.S. chemical producers, manufacturing plastics like polyurethanes.
Huntsman Corporation's Poor Environmental Record In Texas
Andrew Kaczynski | Buzz Feed News | January 11, 2012
Jon Huntsman has run as the most environmentally friendly of all Republican candidates. But his family's business -- The Huntsman Corporation -- has run into trouble with environmental regulators.
Toxic Air Emissions from Largest Huntsman Chemical Plants
Environmental Integrity Project | September 7, 2011
While Republican Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman, Jr. promised to “dramatically rein in the EPA” in a September 1 speech, recent data shows that toxic emissions from a Huntsman Chemical plant jumped more than 50% between 2009 and 2010.
Odessa, Texas: is it the most polluted city in America?
Andrew Buncombe | The Independent | April 1, 2001
When David Moton coughs - which he does often - it feels as though his chest is erupting. There are terrible pains, then a tightness, and shortness of breath.
PERI Pollution Indexes
Based on United States Environmental Protection Agency data ranking the top 100 worst polluters.
& Relations
Worker exposure to dangerous chemicals at Rubicon plant in Geismar linked to poor maintenance record
Mark Schleifstein | Nola | January 3, 2021
Ryan Housley had just finished repairing a pipeline inside one of the manufacturing units on Rubicon LLC’s 81-acre campus in Geismar when his shift ended on a stifling hot afternoon in May 2012.
A look at the 25 Rubicon accidental releases over 10 years that potentially exposed 130 workers
Mark Schleifstein | Nola | January 3, 2021
Between January 2010 and December 2019, Rubicon LLC notified state and local officials about 25 accidental releases of potentially harmful chemicals that resulted in the exposure or potential exposure of company employees or contractors on its 81-acre campus in Ascension Parish.
Financials
Note: Most recent list is not always the most complete list.
- Huntsman Corporation Subsidiaries (via Fintel 2020)
- Huntsman Corporation Subsidiaries (via U.S. SEC 2019)
Croctail Subsidiary Tool using the CorpWatch API - This API extracts the subsidiary relationship information from Exhibit 21 of companies' 10-K filings with the US SEC.
- CIK numbers link to SEC database (EDGAR)
- Section 21 links to SEC list of companies.
- Huntsman Corporation Croctail Profile
Click here for the latest list.
Political Influence
Open Secrets - Tracks corporate lobbying of US politicians.
OpenSecrets.org Profile of Hunstman Corporation
Import & Export Data
ImportYeti - Shipping Tracking Tool - Bill of ladings are public information that are too cost prohibitive, challenging to obtain and difficult to use for the average joe. ImportYeti's goal is to solve that problem.
- ImportYeti Profile of Huntsman Corporation
& Evasion
The wealthy men in Trump's inner circle with links to tax havens
Jon Swaine and Ed Pilkington | The Guardian | November 5, 2017
On the election trail in 2016, Donald Trump promised tax reforms to tempt major US companies back onshore and “bring back trillions of dollars from American businesses that is now parked overseas”.
Huntsman considers $270M plant expansion in Geismar
KRISTEN MOSBRUCKER | The Advocate | September 6, 2019
The Woodlands-based Huntsman and its affiliated joint venture Rubicon LLC are mulling a potential multiphase polyurethane plant expansion in Ascension Parish worth at least $270 million.
Huntsman announces sale of Port Neches, Dayton plants to Thai company as part of $2B deal
Scott Eslinger | 12 News Now | August 8, 2019
Huntsman will be selling the two Southeast Texas facilities along with its Chocolate Bayou facility in Alvin and facilities in India and Australia.
Shaw Lands Deal For New Huntsman Chemical Plant In Louisiana
Tom Granahan | Manufacturing.net | March 9th, 2007
The Shaw Group said Friday it has been awarded a construction management and services contract by Huntsman to build a new 100-million-pound/year maleic anhydride plant at Geismar, Louisiana.
Procurement
Huntsman Corporation contracts with the U.S. Federal government (via USA Spending)