ST. JAMES PARISH, La. — Denka Performance Elastomer in Reserve said it may have to shut down if it is not granted an extension for an upcoming Environmental Protection Agency deadline. The EPA gave the company 90 days, starting in April, to reduce chloroprene emissions to a certain level. Activists call the deadline a hard-fought victory, while the company warns 250 jobs are at risk.
WWL Louisiana has covered the controversy surrounding DPE extensively. In April of 2023, the head of the EPA visited Reserve to announce the new, tighter restrictions.
“Nearly every person that I spoke with,” he told the crowd, “knew someone who suffered from an illness that they believed was connected to the pollution in the air they breathe.”
The plant loomed in the distance behind him as he spoke.
A year later, the EPA finalized the regulations. They will apply to more than 200 companies around the U.S. including DPE. The EPA gave the plant 90 days to comply.
Tuesday, DPE released a statement saying it would not be possible to do so that quickly. It announced it had filed an emergency motion with the U.S. Court of Appeals to “stay the 90-day compliance period.” It warned it would have to shut down if the extension was not granted.
“I don’t think they’re serious at all about shutting down,” said Sharon Lavigne, Founder and Director of Rise St. James, “I think they’re using that to threaten the EPA and the EPA should not fall for it.”
Groups like hers have spent years fighting for tighter pollution rules in the River Parishes. In its statement, DPE called the EPA’s decision “illegal and politically motivated” and accused the agency of relying on “flawed science” in crafting its new regulations. It warned the facility plays “a critical role in the state’s economy.”
Activists disagree, characterizing the decision as a win. “People can find other ways to make a living than bringing in polluters who poison the air, the water, and the soil,” said Lavigne.
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