Attorney General Jeff Landry has signed off on a request from state environmental regulators to take legal action against Denka Performance Elastomer. The complaint is likely to state LaPlace chemical plant is releasing excessive amounts of the chloroprene into the air.
According to the Advocate the approval to proceed legally against Denka is seen as a reversal by the state. Previously regulators told activists and residents of St. John the Baptist Parish that releases of chloroprene posed no threat, even as the US EPA labeled it a 'likely carcinogen' almost a decade ago.
Other almost unprecedented actions stemming from the go-ahead by the AG include filing suit against chemical giant DuPont, who owned the plant until 2015 when Denka bought it.
Criticism of the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, and its Secretary Chuck Carr Brown, for refusal to take Denka to task has been loud from St. John residents. Brown, a former petrochemical consultant, once called concerns about chloroprene emissions 'fear mongering.
Details of DEQ's action coming in the future likely be civil actions demanding Denka to make changes to emissions followed by a federal suit should statutes and requirements not be met.