Dow lands in Midland the week of a nuclear milestone and a plastics lawsuit

Dow flew from MBS International Airport back to MBS International Airport on June 8, a 30-minute, 475-foot-high loop that never left Midland. The brief flight, logged by N892D, a Bombardier CRJ-900, appears to be a maintenance or crew check — but it lands the same week Dow's attention is split between a regulatory win and a legal fight.

The same week, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission issued a Finding of No Significant Impact for Dow and X-energy's proposed advanced nuclear reactor at Seadrift, Texas, per a Dow press release on May 18. That project, Long Mott Generating Station, would provide steam and electricity to Dow's Union Carbide subsidiary. Separately, the Texas Attorney General's office is suing Union Carbide over hundreds of alleged water pollution violations at the same Seadrift complex, as reported by the Texas Tribune. The company also faces a permit amendment that could legalize plastic pellet discharges into San Antonio Bay.

The CRJ-900, unusually large for a corporate fleet, typically shuttles engineering teams between Dow's Louisiana operations and its Gulf Coast plants. The May 12 flight from Baton Rouge to Texas Gulf Coast Regional Airport arrived the same week the state lawsuit was active, per Celebplanes flight data. This week's brief Midland sortie suggests the company's legal and regulatory calendar, not a far-flung meeting, is driving the schedule.