EPA Investigating Louisiana Plant Permits

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking a closer look at permits issued for chemical plants by the state of Louisiana’s environment department (LDEQ) over several years in an effort to determine whether they violated anti-pollution standards and disadvantaged Black people residing downwind.

In particular, the agency has launched a series of civil rights investigations into the permits approved in St. John and St. James parishes. The strip connecting the region’s cultural capital of New Orleans with the Louisiana state capital of Baton Rouge is known colloquially as “cancer alley,” as chronic air pollution is believed to trigger an above-proportion number of cancer cases in majority Black communities.

EPA administrator Michael Regan, himself Black, visited the area late last year and pledged to follow up information provided by activists calculated using the environmental watchdog’s own figures.

As a principal offender in St. John parish, the agency has identified a chloroprene plant formerly owned by DuPont and now operated by Japanese petrochemical producer Denka. This is the only location in the US to emit the chemical that the agency classified as a “likely human carcinogen” as early as 2010. Chloroprene feeds production of polychloroprene, used in Neoprene-branded wetsuits and waterproof gloves as well as laptop sleeves, electrical insulation and automotive fan belts and hoses.

In neighboring St. James parish, the EPA investigations will also scrutinize permits related to the sprawling petrochemicals and plastics complex being pieced together by Taiwan-based polymer giant Formosa Plastics. New facilities at the site have been delayed for years due to internal glitches, Covid-19 and an uproar over the impact on the environment. In one case, the US Army Corps of Engineers is reviewing its own permit allowing the emission of up to 15,400 lbs (nearly 7 million t) of ethylene oxide annually.

While racial justice advocates maintain that the state and local permitting process is biased against African-Americans, in a statement the LDEQ defended its permitting process as “fair and equitable,” but said it would work with the EPA to resolve the matter.

Author: Dede Williams, Freelance Journalist

Photo by João Francisco on Unsplash
Photo by João Francisco on Unsplash

Free Virtual Event

Vaccine Manufacturing
Bioprocess Forum

Vaccine Manufacturing

Join global experts and innovators for a two-day virtual event exploring the latest breakthroughs and best practices in vaccine manufacturing. Discover how new technologies and process innovations are shaping the future of vaccine production, safety, and scalability.

Virtual Event

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry
CHEManager Spotlight

Digitalization in the Chemical Industry

Save the Date: October 22, 2025
The event will be promoted to a combined audience of over 100,000 professionals across Europe through the CHEManager and CITplus networks.

most read

Photo
19.03.2025 • News

Arkema Launches Acrylic Acid Purification Project

Arkema has announced the launch of its Carat Project at its Carling site in France. This initiative aims to enhance the capabilities and sustainability of the facility, which specializes in producing acrylic monomers and superabsorbent polymers.