A chemical plant in Louisiana’s “Cancer Alley” has halted production indefinitely due to disappointing financial outcomes. The Denka Performance Elastomer Plant, located in St. John’s Parish, has faced criticism over chronic air pollution and has been highlighted in reports about the heightened cancer risks affecting predominantly Black communities nearby.
Denka, a Japanese chemicals firm, attributed its decision to increased regulations under President Biden, along with a “sustainable slowdown in global market demand” for neoprene, the synthetic rubber produced at the site. While the company hasn’t ruled out a permanent shutdown, they mentioned plans to “explore all available options for the future of the site, including the sale of the facility.”
The struggle for clean air in the surrounding community has gained national and international attention, leading to various actions from the Biden administration. These actions included new regulations on emissions from major pollutants, such as chloroprene, and a lawsuit from the U.S. Department of Justice aimed at compelling Denka to reduce its contamination levels.
Previous efforts under the Trump administration had sought to roll back these initiatives. In March, the Justice Department dropped the lawsuit, referencing an executive order aimed at what they called “ideological overreach” related to diversity and equity programs.
Denka noted that the current administration is also “committed” to revising the chloroprene regulations established during Biden’s term.
Despite citing a drop in global demand, Denka has reported “extraordinary losses” in its financials over the past year and expressed concern over the uncertainty triggered by regulatory changes affecting the plant’s financial struggles under Biden.
Reports have shown that DuPont, the previous owner of the facility, attempted to sell it in 2015, fearing possible environmental regulations would affect their profit margins. They are alleged to have withheld information about these concerns when selling to Denka.
DuPont has not responded to requests for comment regarding this situation.
On Tuesday, Denka reiterated events from the 2015 sale, suggesting they didn’t anticipate the need for pollution prevention tech at the time of purchase. Since then, the company claims to have invested over $35 million in emission reduction technology, managing to decrease chloroprene emissions by more than 80%.
Nonetheless, chloroprene levels indicated by EPA monitoring continue to show significantly high measurements, exceeding federal lifetime exposure guidelines.
Residents who have long been affected by the plant’s pollution expressed cautious hope on Tuesday.
Mary Hampton from Boundless Community Action remarked, “This [halt in production] isn’t necessarily about us; they don’t care about us.” She believes the plant is now under pressure from international scrutiny. Still, there’s worry among the community about potential sales to other manufacturers, leading to similar issues.
“I’m anxious that this might be temporary,” Hampton said. “What if they sell it to someone else? They could have the same lax regulations and continue business as usual.”
