"The win for activists in two halted chemical plants — by the numbers," 16 Sept 2022

The environmental justice movement notched important victories in Louisiana this week by blocking two planned petrochemical plants — a move that will prevent huge amounts of greenhouse emissions from entering the atmosphere.

The petrochemical complexes would have both been built in St. James Parish, home to what is commonly known at Louisiana’s “cancer alley.”

... [T]wo of those projects — Formosa Plastics and South Louisiana Methanol — were shelved. Louisiana’s 19th Judicial District Court reversed the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality’s decision to issue air permits to Formosa Plastics. And LDEQ said that South Louisiana Methanol failed to modify its permit within the time allotted.

... 13.6 million tons. That’s the volume of greenhouse gases that would have been emitted by Formosa Plastics every year. It’s equal to about three-and-a-half coal plants — more than the carbon footprint of Rhode Island or the District, according to Rhode Island’s Department of Environmental Management.

... In the Welcome and St. James census tract, more than 87 percent of more than 2,000 residents living there identify as “Black or African American,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That tract that would have been most affected by the Formosa Plastics plan.

... Janile Parks, Formosa’s director of community and government relations, said in an email that the company “respectfully disagrees” with Judge White’s conclusion. She said the permits issued by the LDEQ “are sound” and that the agency “properly performed its duty to protect the environment.”

Parks said the company “intends to explore all legal options.”