The Biden administration is suing operators of a chemical plant in St. John the Baptist Parish in federal court, arguing that the facility’s emissions represent “an imminent and substantial endangerment” to public health.
U.S. Justice Department attorneys filed the complaint Feb. 28 in the Eastern District of Louisiana alleging the Denka Performance Elastomer plant in LaPlace is exposing thousands of nearby residents to excessive chloroprene emissions and elevating their risk of developing certain cancers.
Chloroprene is a liquid chemical that is used to produce neoprene, a synthetic rubber that is used in products such as wetsuits, laptop sleeves and automotive belts and hoses, according to the Justice Department.
But DPE said it strongly disagrees with the allegations in the lawsuit, which seeks to pressure the company to take all necessary steps to reduce the emissions to safe levels. The company said it is in compliance with its air permits and current law and that two years ago, it submitted to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency a model for chloroprene showing the plant posed no elevated health risks.
In addition, the Louisiana Tumor Registry data shows cancer rates in the parish are among the bottom 25% of all parishes in the state, company officials say.
“We believe it is critical that the best available science is used to protect human health and the environment,” DPE plant manager Jorge Lavastida said in a statement emailed to the Louisiana Record. “The people of St. John the Baptist Parish deserve current and accurate scientific information regarding health risks in their community. This unprecedented lawsuit will only scare people unnecessarily in the name of politics.”
The plant has reduced its chloroprene emissions by more than 85% since 2015 at a cost of $35 million, according to the company.
But the EPA chief argues the pollution reductions have not come fast enough.
“The company has not moved far enough or fast enough to reduce emissions or ensure the safety of the surrounding community,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a prepared statement. “This action is not the first step we have taken to reduce risks to the people living in St. John the Baptist Parish, and it will not be the last.”
The legal complaint argues the chloroprene levels in the air near the DEP facility can be as high as 14 times the acceptable exposure levels.