The state of Louisiana has issued a series of key air quality permits for a proposed petrochemical complex that would about double toxic emissions in the local area and, according to environmentalists, become one of the largest plastics pollution-causing facilities in the world.
The US$9.4 billion facility, owned by Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑), would consist of 14 separate plastics plants across 930 hectares of land in St James Parish, a largely African-American community in the already heavily polluted area in southern Louisiana.
Environmentalists have said that the plant could release 13 million tonnes of greenhouse gases a year, the equivalent of three coal-fired power plants, and would emit thousands of tonnes of other dangerous pollutants.
The facility has been forcefully opposed by environmental groups and certain local campaigners.
The 16 permits issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality allow Formosa to begin construction, department spokesman Greg Langley said.
A spokeswoman for Formosa, which is operating the project under a subsidiary, FG LA, said that the company would start “site preparation activities” in the first quarter of this year.
This first phase, including soil testing, could take up to a year to complete, she added.
The announcement was met with derision by local environmentalists.
“We are fighting to protect our homes and our families from this monster, Formosa. We are not going to stop because of this bad decision by the state to grant air permits,” Rise St James president Sharon Lavigne said in a statement.
Environmental advocates on Tuesday said that they would continue to oppose the project, but withheld details of what their next steps would be until the permits were made publicly available.
“The state of Louisiana is wholly unprepared to provide proper oversight of this monster,” Louisiana Bucket Brigade founding executive director Anne Rolfes said. “This approval signals that our state government is willing to sacrifice our health, our clean air and water to cheap plastics. The good news is that we, the people, do not accept this decision. The fight has just begun.”
The project has been endorsed by a number of senior Louisiana officials, including by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards, citing job creation and tax revenues. It is expected to create 1,200 new permanent jobs, along with 8,000 temporary construction jobs.
“FG is pleased to have completed the rigorous environmental permitting process,” FG LA community and government relations director Janile Parks said. “Our team has worked diligently to design a facility that meets state and federal standards that protect the health and safety of our employees, community and the environment.”
The project would generate US$362 million of taxes for state and local governments during construction, with about US$207 million being “collected in the St James area,” Parks said.
However, local campaigners have said that the financial rewards should be seen as secondary to the project’s environmental impact.
TAKING STOCK: A Taiwanese cookware firm in Vietnam urged customers to assess inventory or place orders early so shipments can reach the US while tariffs are paused Taiwanese businesses in Vietnam are exploring alternatives after the White House imposed a 46 percent import duty on Vietnamese goods, following US President Donald Trump’s announcement of “reciprocal” tariffs on the US’ trading partners. Lo Shih-liang (羅世良), chairman of Brico Industry Co (裕茂工業), a Taiwanese company that manufactures cast iron cookware and stove components in Vietnam, said that more than 40 percent of his business was tied to the US market, describing the constant US policy shifts as an emotional roller coaster. “I work during the day and stay up all night watching the news. I’ve been following US news until 3am
Six years ago, LVMH’s billionaire CEO Bernard Arnault and US President Donald Trump cut the blue ribbon on a factory in rural Texas that would make designer handbags for Louis Vuitton, one of the world’s best-known luxury brands. However, since the high-profile opening, the factory has faced a host of problems limiting production, 11 former Louis Vuitton employees said. The site has consistently ranked among the worst-performing for Louis Vuitton globally, “significantly” underperforming other facilities, said three former Louis Vuitton workers and a senior industry source, who cited internal rankings shared with staff. The plant’s problems — which have not
UNCERTAINTY: Innolux activated a stringent supply chain management mechanism, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, to ensure optimal inventory levels for customers Flat-panel display makers AUO Corp (友達) and Innolux Corp (群創) yesterday said that about 12 to 20 percent of their display business is at risk of potential US tariffs and that they would relocate production or shipment destinations to mitigate the levies’ effects. US tariffs would have a direct impact of US$200 million on AUO’s revenue, company chairman Paul Peng (彭雙浪) told reporters on the sidelines of the Touch Taiwan trade show in Taipei yesterday. That would make up about 12 percent of the company’s overall revenue. To cope with the tariff uncertainty, AUO plans to allocate its production to manufacturing facilities in
TARIFF CONCERNS: The chipmaker cited global uncertainty from US tariffs and a weakening economic outlook, but said its Singapore expansion remains on track Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進), a foundry service provider specializing in producing power management and display driver chips, yesterday withdrew its full-year revenue projection of moderate growth for this year, as escalating US tariff tensions raised uncertainty and concern about a potential economic recession. The Hsinchu-based chipmaker in February said revenues this year would grow mildly from last year based on improving supply chain inventory levels and market demand. At the time, it also anticipated gradual quarter revenue growth. However, the US’ sweeping tariff policy has upended the industry’s supply chains and weakened economic prospects for the world economy, it said. “Now
RSS