Dow's brief home-base hop masks a busy shuttle to Texas legal and nuclear battles

Dow flew from MBS International Airport in Midland, Michigan, back to MBS International Airport on June 8 — a 7-minute, 135-knot circuit that barely left the ground. The brief hop, likely a maintenance check or crew repositioning, is the quietest moment in an otherwise busy month for Dow's Bombardier CRJ-900, N892D.

The same week the Texas Attorney General's office pursued a lawsuit against Dow subsidiary Union Carbide over hundreds of alleged water pollution violations at the Seadrift complex, per a Texas Tribune report, the company also earned a key regulatory nod: the Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for Dow and X-energy's proposed advanced nuclear reactor at Seadrift, as announced by Dow on May 18. N892D has shuttled engineering teams on five round trips between Baton Rouge and Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport since May 5, a route that mirrors Dow's supply chain and the urgency of its Texas operations.

The aircraft's unusual size — a 90-seat regional jet — reflects Dow's need to move large groups of engineers between sprawling chemical plants. While this week's flight stayed home, the pattern is clear: Dow's legal and regulatory battles in Texas are keeping its corporate shuttle aloft.