Tesla Texas Lithium Plant Halted for Chromium
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- Eurofins Environment Testing conducted a 24‑hour composite sample on April 7 and measured hexavalent chromium at 0.0104 mg/L in Tesla’s Robstown wastewater, just above its reporting limit.
- Eurofins Environment Testing also detected arsenic at 0.0025 mg/L, below the federal drinking‑water standard of 0.01 mg/L, and noted elevated lithium levels.
- Nueces County Drainage District No. 2 issued a cease‑and‑desist letter demanding Tesla halt the 231,000‑gallon‑per‑day wastewater discharge pending further discussion.
- Tesla had promoted its $1 billion Texas lithium refinery as using an “acid‑free” alkaline leach process that yields benign sand and limestone by‑products instead of hazardous sodium sulfate waste.
- Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ)’s wastewater discharge permit for the plant does not list hexavalent chromium or arsenic among permitted substances.
- Robstown, Texas is the location of the nearly $1 billion lithium refinery whose wastewater is now under regulatory scrutiny.
Why it matters: The cease‑and‑desist forces Tesla to suspend operations at a $1 billion Texas lithium plant, delaying production and raising compliance costs, while the drainage district safeguards local water quality. The findings also undercut Tesla’s marketing of an ‘acid‑free’ process, exposing the firm to reputational and regulatory risk.
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