Official: Criminal probe underway at Virginia chemical plant
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}State and federal authorities have responded to an industrial chemical manufacturing facility as part of what a Virginia official says is a criminal environmental investigation.
AdvanSix said in a statement that authorities were at the company's plant in Hopewell Tuesday to execute a search warrant. Spokeswoman Debra Lewis says the company is "still learning" about the investigation and she can't provide further details.
Ann Regn is a spokeswoman for Virginia's Department of Environmental Quality. She says the agency is taking part in a criminal environmental investigation led by the Environmental Protection Agency.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}An EPA spokeswoman confirmed it had employees at the site but declined further comment.
According to AdvanSix's website, the plant southeast of Richmond is one of the world's largest single-site producers of a chemical used to make packaging, plastics and fibers.