A U.S. district court has granted the federal government’s request to indefinitely halt a case involving a major petrochemical plant in Louisiana. This despite claims by the Biden administration that the facility poses an imminent health threat.
In a ruling late Friday, Judge Carl Barbier of the U.S. District of Eastern Louisiana abruptly canceled oral arguments in the case scheduled for this week and a subsequent trial scheduled for mid-March. The Justice Department, which is filing the case on behalf of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), asked Barbier to adjourn the case on February 9, after months of arguing about the plant’s dangers.
Following the court’s ruling, synthetic fiber manufacturer Denka Performance Elastomers (DPE), a defendant in the case, accused the EPA of misusing resources in pursuing the case against the agency. The ruling requires the EPA to force the company’s facility in LaPlace, Louisiana, the only domestic plant that produces neoprene, a synthetic rubber common in military equipment, to significantly reduce chloroprene emissions. The case came a year after he first sued DPE.
“EPA’s request to postpone the trial indefinitely belies the ‘urgency’ the government claims in this unprecedented action,” DPE attorney Jason Hutt said in a statement shared with FOX News Digital. mentioned in. “EPA’s lawsuit has taken a heavy toll on both the nation’s only neoprene facility and its dedicated employees.”
Senate committee investigates John Kerry’s collaboration with eco-groups to end coal-fired power generation
August 12, 2021 at Denka Performance Elastomer Facility in Laplace, Louisiana. The plant is the only one in the U.S. that produces neoprene, a synthetic rubber common in munitions, wetsuits and medical technology. (Emily Cusk/AFP via Getty Images)
Hutt added that the EPA’s lawsuit is being pursued “solely for political gain.” He also said the federal government is prepared to drop the lawsuit entirely in light of proposed regulations that would require additional testing of manufacturing facilities for certain chemical emissions, including chloroprene, which the White House is expected to finalize in the coming weeks. said.
“DPE has litigated this matter and has made clear that the science on which EPA’s claims are based is based on outdated, distorted, and overly conservative risk assessments. We are prepared to address any concerns that may arise,” Hutt continued. “Since purchasing the facility in 2015, DPE has invested more than $35 million in reducing chloroprene emissions.”
Republicans suing Biden administration over environmental justice activities: ‘Dystopian nightmare’
“As a result, today’s chloroprene emissions are at historic lows, as confirmed by DPE’s continuous dual monitoring system,” he said. “DPE will continue production at this facility, which employs hundreds of Louisiana residents and provides significant economic benefits to the local and state economies.”
After EPA files complaint against DPE on February 28, 2023, EPA Administrator Michael Regan takes strong action to protect Louisiana residents from LaPlace neoprene plant emissions He added that the DPE was “not moving far enough or fast enough.” Enough to reduce said emissions.” The move was part of the administration’s “environmental justice” agenda.
“When I visited St. John the Baptist Parish on my first Journey to Justice Tour, I learned that the Environmental Protection Agency is taking powerful measures to protect the health and safety of families from harmful chloroprene emissions from the Denka facility. We pledged to our communities that we would take action,” said Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Michael. Regan said last year. “This complaint filed against Denka fulfills that promise.” (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
According to the complaint, Factory emissions poses a cancer risk to the residents of St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, and therefore poses an “immediate and significant danger to the public health and welfare.”
Then, a month later, the Department of Justice filed a motion for a preliminary injunction in the case, asking the court to force the closure of DPE’s facilities if it does not immediately implement significant emissions reductions. Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim said the motion “demonstrates our commitment to addressing environmental justice issues.”
Climate lawsuit coordinated by Billionaire-fueled Rockefeller Fund with DEM state government: internal documents
In its response motion, DPE argues that the federal government’s actions “are tantamount to a shutdown order that will have devastating consequences for DPE,” including “a complete loss of revenue sources, a significant loss of workforce, and supply chain disruption.” , Contractual Implications and Regulatory Challenges.”
President Biden and EPA Administrator Michael Regan (Getty Images)
The company too Revealing the characteristics of the Biden administration Efforts to address this are politically driven, unsupported by real-world science, and outside legal authority under the Clean Air Act. As Hutt pointed out, DPE pointed out how its Laplace facility has significantly reduced chloroprene emissions and is in compliance with environmental permits.
DPE also pointed to Louisiana Tumor Registry data showing that St. John the Baptist Parish, where the neoprene facility is located, has one of the lowest cancer rates of any region in the state.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Additionally, the DPE disclosed late last year that it had discovered evidence during discovery in a case in which EPA officials appeared to have fabricated a paper trail to facilitate litigation, a fact that the House of Representatives for Science, Space and Technology This triggered a committee investigation.
EPA did not respond to requests for comment.
