Chemical plant in Louisiana’s Cancer Alley halts operations amid financial losses and regulatory pressure
A chemical plant in Louisiana long criticized for endangering nearby residents with toxic air pollution has suspended production indefinitely following major financial setbacks and regulatory challenges.
Oliver Laughland reports for The Guardian.
In short:
- Denka Performance Elastomer has paused all operations at its neoprene-producing facility in St. John Parish, citing $109 million in losses, dwindling demand, and stricter environmental regulations under former President Biden.
- The Biden administration introduced rules targeting chloroprene emissions and sued Denka to cut pollution, but President Trump’s Justice Department dropped the case in March, calling it ideological overreach.
- Local residents, many of whom have lost loved ones to cancer, expressed cautious hope at the closure of the plant but remained concerned the site could be sold to another polluter with little change in emissions.
Key quote:
“They don’t care about us. What I see now is that they never intended to get emissions down.”
— Mary Hampton, Boundless Community Action
Why this matters:
Cancer Alley — a stretch of the Mississippi River in Louisiana dotted with petrochemical plants — has become a national symbol of environmental injustice. Residents, predominantly Black and low-income, have long reported elevated cancer rates and respiratory illnesses. Chloroprene, the chemical produced by the Denka plant, is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as “likely to be carcinogenic to humans.” Though Denka claims an 80% reduction in emissions, federal air monitors consistently report chloroprene levels far exceeding safety guidelines. The plant’s suspension may offer temporary relief, but it does not erase decades of toxic exposure or guarantee that future owners won’t resume harmful operations.
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