Dow lands at Texas Gulf Coast after NRC approves nuclear project at Seadrift

Dow flew from Midland (KMBS) to Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport (KLBX) on June 8, a 7-minute hop that landed N892D, the company's Bombardier CRJ-900, near its Seadrift chemical complex. The flight arrived just weeks after the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission completed its Environmental Assessment for Dow and X-energy's proposed advanced nuclear project at the site, issuing a Finding of No Significant Impact on May 18, per a Dow press release [corporate.dow.com](https://corporate.dow.com/en-us/news/press-releases/nrc-issues-environmental-assessment-with--finding-of-no-signi.html).

The same period also sees Dow defending its Seadrift operations against a Texas lawsuit alleging habitual water pollution violations, filed in February by the state attorney general's office and covered by the Texas Tribune [texastribune.org](https://www.celebplanes.com/articles/dow-inc-flight-1204). The NRC's green light for the XE-100 small modular reactor—designed to provide steam and power to the 4,700-acre complex—offers a contrasting narrative of environmental stewardship, as the company simultaneously seeks a permit amendment that critics say would legalize plastic pellet discharges into San Antonio Bay [insideclimatenews.org](https://insideclimatenews.org/news/02032026/dow-requests-texas-plastic-pollution-permit/).

The shuttle pattern is familiar: N892D has made multiple round trips between Midland and the Houston-area airport in recent weeks, a route that mirrors Dow's movement of engineering teams between its Michigan headquarters and Gulf Coast manufacturing sites. This week, those teams are likely focused on the nuclear project's next regulatory steps, as Dow pushes to make Seadrift the first industrial site in North America powered by a grid-scale advanced reactor.