Paxton Wins $60M Judgment Against Skull Creek Disaster Polluter

Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) has secured a court judgment of more than $60 million against David Polston and his companies, Inland Environmental and Remediation, Inland Recycling, and Boundary Ventures, for illegal dumping that severely polluted Texas land and waterways, including the Colorado River tributary known as Skull Creek.

The case stems from a 2019 environmental disaster when Skull Creek turned black with chemical pollution. The pollution killed fish and wildlife and raised alarms about toxic dumping in the region. The contamination was traced to an illegal recycling operation run by Polston, where investigators discovered unpermitted pits filled with petroleum-soaked soil and leaking chemical containers, clear violations of Texas environmental laws.

Following the incident, Attorney General Paxton filed suit to halt the pollution and initiated years of litigation. The legal action culminated in an agreed final judgment penalizing Polston and his companies for their extensive environmental violations.

The ruling also holds the landowner of the polluted site accountable after it was discovered he had profited from the waste disposal. The attorney general secured a separate court order requiring the landowner to restore the contaminated land.

“I will not allow rogue corporations to pollute Texas’s land and rivers by illegally dumping dangerous chemicals that kill our wildlife and hurt the environment,” said Attorney General Paxton in a statement. “Companies that do business in Texas have a duty to take care of the land and follow the law. If you mess with Texas, you will face the consequences.”

The $60 million judgment is among the most significant environmental enforcement wins in recent Texas history.

Attorney General Paxton has vowed to protect Texas’ natural resources through aggressive legal action against violators. His office believes that the ruling sends a strong message to companies that environmental misconduct will be met with serious legal and financial repercussions.