Commercial Roofing Contractors in New Hope, TX

An East Texas plant that turns waste plastics into “usable product” recently experienced its fourth fire in the past three years.

The Tyler Fire Department responded at 8:52 a.m. Sept. 30 to a report of a fire at New Hope Energy, 1775 Duncan St. in Tyler.

When they got there, firefighters found plastics and vegetation burning, said newly appointed Tyler Fire Marshal Joey Hooton.

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A New Hope employee told fire department dispatchers at 8:56 a.m. there were explosives in the building, according to the department’s report on the blaze.

“Nitrogen tank close to fire (...) It’s approaching containers moving fast,” continued the minute-by-minute report between dispatchers and fire crews.

The crews extinguished the blaze, and a fire suppression system built into the recycling facility contained the fire around the building, Hooton said.

“As the product flowed downhill, it ignited vegetation around it,” he said. “Our guys created a dam to keep it from running, from traveling any further, and as the product started cooling, it became rigid. That plastic started to harden again. The product appeared to be contained to the property.”

The cause of the fire was unknown and remained under investigation this past week, Hooton said.

The Tyler Fire Department also was called in May 2020 to extinguish another blaze at the facility. In that incident, crews doused a plastics reactor — described as a low-pressure chamber — with firefighting foam to cool the overheating tank.

“Packing” below the base of one of the reactors ignited six months later, according to another fire department report on the facility.

In June 2023, combustible fluid ignited at the facility and activated the automatic extinguishing system. The fire department reported employees “were cooling the reactor that had direct flame impingement.”

Tom Sheehy, New Hope Energy’s director of sales, said the fires were not a result of the novel recycling process, which generates heat upwards of 900 degrees.

“These weren’t created because of the technology,” he said. “The fires and the technology are separate.”

A follow-up statement by the company clarified the Sept. 30 fire was caused by the failure of a backup maintenance valve and that there was no injuries or damage to equipment.

The statement further added that the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality performed an inspection the day of the incident, and no violations were issued.

However, the TCEQ clarified in an emailed statement that the onsite investigation took place Oct. 3 and the investigation is ongoing and not resolved.

A separate complaint filed to the TCEQ in 2021 regarding mismanagement of hazardous waste was investigated by the state agency in November of that year.

The investigator listed three separate failures at the New Hope facility to clearly label hazardous material in addition to other violations pertaining to hazardous waste determinations.

Scattered barrels around the plant were visible from satellite images taken before the 2021 investigation.

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No enforcement actions, including fines and fees, have been filed against the plastics recycling facility by the TCEQ as of Thursday afternoon.

Controversial technology

Tyler-based New Hope Energy began operating the plant in 2018. The facility employs a technology called pyrolysis to heat waste plastics and turn them into fuel or chemical feedstock used in industrial processes.

“We convert more of our waste to usable product than anybody else,” around 97%, Sheehy told the Tyler Morning Telegraph in 2022.

New Hope Energy announced a partnership with Paris-based TotalEnergies in 2022 to scale up operations in Tyler and make the plant the largest of its kind in the world. The plant expansion is anticipated to wrap up in 2025.

And this year, the technology was heralded by the American Chemistry Council, a trade group for the chemical industry, “as a critical part of the solution to a circular plastics economy.” New Hope Energy is a member of two ACC industry sub-groups.

However, environmental groups are less convinced by some of the sustainability claims made by the chemical industry when it comes to pyrolysis.

The National Resources Defense Council, an environmental advocacy group, listed a number of concerns with the technology in a 2022 report tied to previous academic studies.

“(Pyrolysis) may cause fires at plants due to high heat, generates large quantities of hazardous waste, and creates fuels whose burning generates the same harmful air pollutants as burning fossil fuels,” the report stated.

The National Resources Defense Council also highlighted how the sites tend to be in lower-income communities.

The area surrounding the New Hope plant had the second-highest percentage of households making less than $25,000 of the facilities examined in the report.

Another environmental group, GreenPeace, argued that terms like “plastics recycling” and “the circular plastics economy” are misleading.

A GreenPeace report from 2020 found that “ACC member Dow Chemical Company, a leading promoter of pyrolysis waste-to-fuel processes, initially called its process ‘recycling,’” but later retracted the recycling description after encountering criticism from a recycling coalition.

Dow, which also has partnered with New Hope Energy, eventually stated that, “We agree. It’s not recycling.”

Scrutiny involving pyrolysis also is beginning to intensify inside the federal government.

The Environmental Protection Agency released a draft proposal in June for regulation of the new technology. The regulations would pause operations at plants until the agency has conducted a thorough review of a given facility and evaluated risks to public health and the environment.

Last month, the American Chemistry Council published a statement opposing the draft regulations.

“The ACC and our members remain eager to inform the EPA and other decision-makers about advanced recycling and clarify misconceptions being spread by its opponents and foster a more constructive path forward for this important manufacturing process,” the statement said.

Tyler-based New Hope Energy will expand its plastics recycling facility to become what it says will be the largest pyrolysis operation in the world, using a high heat process to break down plastics so they can be recycled.

New Hope converts plastic waste into a product that is certified for use in making food grade packaging.

“We’ve been in Tyler for the last few years with a commercial operation underway,” said Tom Sheehy, with New Hope Energy. The company’s founder, Johnny Combs, started developing the technology New Hope uses 10 years ago.

“What that means, is that is certified product that goes back into the circular economy to make more plastic,” Sheehy said. “It’s very environmentally friendly.”

The expansion has been in the works but was further supported after an agreement with TotalEnergies. The company, which is headquartered in Paris, describes itself as a “multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity.” TotalEnergies will partly purchase the recycled plastic waste that New Hope produces and convert it into “virgin-quality polymers” that can be used in food-grade packaging.

New Hope’s patented pyrolysis was developed in conjunction with Houston-based Lummus Technology.

“The ability to effectively and economically convert waste plastics to pyrolysis oil for further use is a critical step in achieving a true circular economy,” said Leon de Bruyn, president and chief executive officer of Lummus Technology.

Sheehy said New Hope is expected to be able to process 50 tons of plastic per day by the end of the year. Materials New Hope processes come in part from the city of Tyler’s recycling program but largely from “big brand” consumer product manufacturers and retail distributors.

“With this expansion that will enable us to move to 500 tons per day,” he said.

Employment will grow as well. It’s about 60 now, and Sheehy said that will grow by 100 to 150 employees.

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“We convert more of our waste to usable product than anybody else,” at 97%, he said, describing the process as “highly scalable.” “Our model is capable of growing.”

The expanded plant is expected to start production in 2025.

“We are pleased to partner with New Hope Energy, which offers a promising technology and the ability to scale. This new project is another concrete and significant step TotalEnergies is taking to address the challenge of plastic recycling and meet our goal of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030,” said Valérie Goff, senior vice president over polymers at TotalEnergies, in a prepared statement.

“The construction project is going to be ginormous,” Sheehy said.

New Hope hired Houston-based S&B Engineers and Constructors to oversee engineering, procurement and construction for the expansion.

“We’re excited to partner with New Hope to boost its advanced recycling capacity to create solutions for plastic waste,” said Ray Sherman, president of S&B’s energy transition, power and industrial business unit. “S&B remains at the forefront of energy transition projects because of our engineering expertise and the ability to safely execute on time and within budget.”

The important thing about the project and the work New Hope is doing, Sheehy said, is that it’s keeping those materials out of the landfills.

The guiding principal of the company’s founder is “to protect the kingdom that the Lord gave us,” Sheehy said.

“This is our effort to make it a clean world and protect the kingdom,” Sheehy said. “That’s our founding principal and everything we do is guided by that.”

A Tyler barbecue joint will close its doors.

Local BBQ, located at 5875 Old Bullard Rd., will serve customers for the last time Saturday The restaurant's closure was announced via Facebook on Thursday night.

"We are so grateful for Locals and customers visiting locally that have stepped through our doors to enjoy our BBQ," the restaurant said. "Many economic and personal factors have brought us to the decision to close our doors and smokehouse."

The restaurant will remain open through 9 p.m. Saturday night, or until supplies last.

"Please come see us for some of Rhett's delicious 'Q through Saturday nite, or until gone!" the restaurant said in the post.

The restaurant features locally-sourced meats smoked by Rhett Lisman. Nachos, ribs, brisket, combo sandwiches like the 'Beauty and the Beast,' jumbo stuffed tater tots and more are some of the restaurant's most popular items. The restaurant also serves alcoholic beverages and local craft beers and ciders.

Local BBQ opened for full business hours on Nov. 15, 2021 and held a ribbon cutting with the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce on June 29, 2022.

A Tyler cookie eatery is moving to a new spot after its location on South Broadway Avenue sold.

Sister2Sister Cookies will relocate to 135 Shelley Drive in Tyler in January. The bakery announced on Facebook its 6618 S. Broadway Ave. property was sold.

Remodeling is underway at the new Shelley Drive location.

According to the bakery's website, the Sister2Sister's love for baking goes back many generations as the shop is filled with favorite family recipes from mom, dad, grandmothers, great grandmothers, aunts and cousins. The cookies are baked fresh daily from scratch and have no preservatives added.

Sister2Sister told customers to stayed tuned for progress updates.

Houston/Paris, May 18, 2022 – TotalEnergies and New Hope Energy today announced a commercial agreement under which New Hope Energy will build an advanced recycling plant in Texas to transform end-of-life plastic waste into a recycled feedstock that TotalEnergies will partly purchase and convert into virgin-quality polymers, which can be used for food-grade packaging.

The New Hope Energy plant is expected to start production in 2025 and will use a patented pyrolysis technology that was developed in partnership with Lummus Technology to process and convert more than 310,000 tons per year of mixed plastic waste that would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration. TotalEnergies will use 100,000 tons of Recycled Polymer Feedstock (RPF) in its Texas-based production units to manufacture high-quality polymers suitable for food-grade applications such as flexible and rigid food packaging containers.

“We are pleased to partner with New Hope Energy, which offers a promising technology and the ability to scale. This new project is another concrete and significant step TotalEnergies is taking to address the challenge of plastic recycling and meet our goal of producing 30% circular polymers by 2030,” said Valérie Goff, Senior Vice President, Polymers at TotalEnergies.

“TotalEnergies understands the need to increase recycling in the U.S. and abroad, and their 2030 renewable polymer goal is a testament of their commitment to the circular economy,” said Rusty Combs, Chief Executive Officer of New Hope Energy. “Our partnership with Lummus has allowed us to provide the scale and reliability necessary to support them in this mission.”

“The ability to effectively and economically convert waste plastics to pyrolysis oil for further use is a critical step in achieving a true circular economy,” said Leon de Bruyn, President and Chief Executive Officer of Lummus Technology. “Supporting TotalEnergies in reaching their sustainability goals is exactly what our integrated processing solutions are designed to do.”

About TotalEnergies

TotalEnergies is a global multi-energy company that produces and markets energies: oil and biofuels, natural gas and green gases, renewables and electricity. Our more than 100,000 employees are committed to energy that is ever more affordable, cleaner, more reliable and accessible to as many people as possible. Active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies puts sustainable development in all its dimensions at the heart of its projects and operations to contribute to the well-being of people.

About New Hope Energy New Hope Energy is a pioneer in the field of chemical recycling. Their first plant has been successfully operating in Tyler Texas since 2018, with a current expansion underway which will make it the largest pyrolysis facility in the world. New Hope Energy is developing additional projects to support the circular economy through the conversion of waste plastic into renewable chemical feedstock. To learn more, visit https://newhopeenergy.com.

About the Lummus New Hope technology Lummus New Hope plastics pyrolysis technology converts end-of-life plastic into feedstock to produce recycled plastics, diverting waste away from landfills or the environment. Part of a partnership formed in 2020 between New Hope Energy and Lummus, the technology combines Lummus’ strength to license, scale-up and further develop process technology with New Hope Energy operational experience and waste conversion technology.

TotalEnergies Contacts

New Hope Energy contact

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Cautionary NoteThe terms “TotalEnergies”, “TotalEnergies company” or “Company” in this document are used to designate TotalEnergies SE and the consolidated entities that are directly or indirectly controlled by TotalEnergies SE. Likewise, the words “we”, “us” and “our” may also be used to refer to these entities or to their employees. The entities in which TotalEnergies SE directly or indirectly owns a shareholding are separate legal entities. TotalEnergies SE has no liability for the acts or omissions of these entities. This document may contain forward-looking information and statements that are based on a number of economic data and assumptions made in a given economic, competitive and regulatory environment. They may prove to be inaccurate in the future and are subject to a number of risk factors. Neither TotalEnergies SE nor any of its subsidiaries assumes any obligation to update publicly any forward-looking information or statement, objectives or trends contained in this document whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Information concerning risk factors, that may affect TotalEnergies’ financial results or activities is provided in the most recent Registration Document, the French-language version of which is filed by TotalEnergies SE with the French securities regulator Autorité des Marchés Financiers (AMF), and in the Form 20-F filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

France-based TotalEnergies and Texas-based New Hope Energy have signed a commercial agreement under which New Hope Energy will build a chemical recycling plant in the Lone Star state, the two companies say.

At the plant, plastic scrap will be converted into “a recycled feedstock that TotalEnergies will partly purchase and convert into virgin-quality polymers, which can be used for food-grade packaging,” the French petrochemical firm says.

New Hope Energy describes itself as “a pioneer in the field of chemical recycling.” The company has been operating a facility in Tyler, Texas, since 2018, with an expansion underway that it says will make that plant “the largest pyrolysis facility in the world.”

The TotalEnergies/New Hope Energy plant is expected to start production in 2025 and will use what the companies call a patented pyrolysis technology that was developed in partnership with Houston-based Lummus Technology.

The new plant, for which a site has not yet been selected or disclosed, will process and convert more than 310,000 tons per year of mixed plastic scrap that TotalEnergies says “would otherwise be destined for landfill or incineration.”

TotalEnergies will then use 100,000 tons of what it is calling recycled polymer feedstock (RPF) produced at the new facility at its Texas-based production units “to manufacture high-quality polymers suitable for food-grade applications such as flexible and rigid food packaging containers.”

Last year, United States-based Dow announced it had established a multiyear agreement with New Hope Energy for its Tyler facility to supply Dow with pyrolysis oil feedstocks derived from plastics recycled there.

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Valérie Goff, senior vice president of polymers at TotalEnergies, says, “We are pleased to partner with New Hope Energy, which offers a promising technology and the ability to scale. This new project is another concrete and significant step TotalEnergies is taking to address the challenge of plastic recycling and meet our goal of producing 30 percent circular polymers by 2030.”

Rusty Combs, CEO of New Hope Energy, adds, “TotalEnergies understands the need to increase recycling in the U.S. and abroad, and [its] 2030 renewable polymer goal is a testament [to its] commitment to the circular economy. Our partnership with Lummus has allowed us to provide the scale and reliability necessary to support them in this mission.”

“The ability to effectively and economically convert waste plastics to pyrolysis oil for further use is a critical step in achieving a true circular economy,” says Leon de Bruyn, president and CEO of pyrolysis technology provider Lummus. “Supporting TotalEnergies in reaching [its] sustainability goals is exactly what our integrated processing solutions are designed to do.”

ROCKWALL COUNTY, TX (June 20, 2022) The Rockwall County Historical Commission is excited to announce that the Texas Historical Commission has approved an application by the RCHC for an Official Texas Historical Marker for New Hope Baptist Church, in Royse City, TX. The official Historical Marker will be installed at a later date.

New Hope Baptist Church was formed in 1859, prior to the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation, and has continuously served its community since then. From the time of its formation, the Church’s membership has primarily been composed of African-Americans, which gives the approval of the Historical Marker on this Juneteenth Weekend special significance. The historical importance of New Hope is further emphasized by the fact that it was organized prior to the existence of both Rockwall County (formed in 1873) and the City of Royse City (formed in 1885).

According to Lorne Liechty, chairman of the RCHC, “The historical significance of New Hope Baptist Church to Rockwall County can not be overstated. We have thoroughly enjoyed the process of working with Pastor Stephen Grays and other church members to learn the heritage of New Hope Baptist Church, and are excited that the significance of this heritage has been recognized by the Texas Historical Commission.”

New Hope Baptist Church acquired its initial property at 801 Old Greenville Road in Royse City in 1868. The first building that housed the Church was a workers’ shack on the property. The Church’s first permanent building was erected in 1914. In 1953, the Church conducted a major demolition of its existing building and the construction of a new facility. A new sanctuary was erected in 1994.

New Hope has impacted its community in a positive way since its formation. Today the Church is led by the Reverend Stephen Grays, who has pastored the Church since May 18, 2016. Now, more than 160 years after the Church was formed, it continues to fulfill its mission of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Rockwall County Historical Commission is formed pursuant to the laws of the State of Texas. Its purpose includes the identification, preservation, protection and interpretation of the history of Rockwall County. Its members are Lorne Liechty, Chairman; Bethany Browning; Sarah Keeney; Paula Morris; Mark Russo; Travis Sales; and John Stacy.

Submitted press release, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News.

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