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The EPA knew about the threat Denka posed to residents of Reserve and Laplace as early as 2015. The Denka plant in LaPlace, Louisiana, is along a stretch of the Mississippi River that activists and residents have nicknamed Cancer Alley.. Its complicated. The lawsuit also names a subsidiary of the US chemicals giant DuPont, which constructed the Pontchartrain Works facility as a neoprene plant and operated it for over half a century. Sign up hereinstead Legal Opinions Consumer Information You have accessed a U.S. Government information system, which includes (1) this computer, (2) this network, (3) all computers connected to this network, and (4) all devices and storage media attached to this network or to a computer on this network.
BATON ROUGE Thousands of Louisiana taxpayers have until Thursday, Oct. 6 to claim millions of dollars in state income tax refunds before the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) transfers them to the states Unclaimed Property fund. 0:00 / 3:50. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Director: Chris Hebert, Louisiana Bureau of Investigation
State of Louisiana Department of Justice c/o Constituent Services P. O. According to the complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, air monitoring conducted by both the EPA and Denka over the past several years consistently shows long-term chloroprene concentrations in the air near Denkas LaPlace facility that are as high as 14 times the levels recommended for a 70-year lifetime of exposure. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Our suit aims to stop Denkas dangerous pollution.. Japanese company Denka, along with US chemicals giant DuPont, have operated the plant that produces cancer-causing chloroprene. Your support keeps our unbiased, nonprofit news free. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Please use this form to make your Dept of Justice Civil Debt payments only. The Civil Division represents the State of Louisiana, its departments and agencies, boards and commissions, and statewide elected officials. Official websites use .gov To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. Email: ConstituentServices@ag.louisiana.gov. Chief Deputy Attorney General: Bill Stiles, Communications
Your Address, Corporation Income/Franchise Extension Request. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Serves as the principal liaison between the Attorney General's Office, the media, and the public. The lawyers and staff in our office work hard every day to defend our national security, improve the safety and quality of life in all our communities through enforcement of federal laws, and protect the public funds of the United States. The US justice department has sued the two petrochemical giants behind a facility in Louisianas Cancer Alley responsible for the highest cancer risk rates caused by air pollution in the US in a major federal lawsuit that seeks to substantially curb the plants emissions. This complaint filed against Denka delivers on that promise. Payment Processing for utilities, government, businesses. Moreover, our priorities go beyond prosecuting criminals and litigating cases, as we serve our community through a variety ofoutreach programs, community resources, and victim-witness services. Pay.gov requires the use of cookies. 0:10. The complaint, first reported by NBC News, was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court for Eastern Louisiana on behalf of the EPA under the Clean Air Act. According to EPA calculations, emissions from the former DuPont plant, now owned by Denka, present a risk that is especially grave for children. Please click here to see any active alerts.
An official website of the United States government. Emissions reductions at Denka has been one of our top priorities at LDEQ, and EPAis nowbuilding on the steps LDEQ took five years ago and our continuing efforts to reduce chloroprene emissions from the Denka facility, said LDEQ Secretary Dr. Chuck Carr Brown.
But on-site inspections by the EPA in April and May 2022 found that Denkawas not meeting regulatory requirements for the storage and disposal of chloroprene waste, which contributes to emissions of chloroprene from the plant. Mary Hampton, another founder of Concerned Citizens of St John Parish, said the lawsuit was the culmination of years of advocacy from community members and represented that finally we have a little hope. But the estimated pollution-related cancer risk in the area is still one of the highest in the country, according to the EPA. Next Cancel P.O. Denka Performance Elastomers manufactures neoprene at its chemical plant in Reserve, La. This complaint seeks to compel Denka to eliminate the public health endangerment caused by its emissions by greatly reducing the levels of chloroprene to which this community is being exposed. Official websites use .gov For more information about the Civil Rights Division and the Special Litigation Section, please visit: https://www.justice.gov/crt/special-litigation-section. The date coincides with the date the IRS begins accepting federal income tax returns. We need action now for our children and want this to be put in place immediately.. DuPont did not immediately respond to a request for comment. This complaint filed against Denka delivers on that promise, Regan said. Louisianas Department of Environmental Quality reached an agreement with Denka requiring the company to install pollution controls in 2017. Pay.gov is a program of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Facebook, Follow us on When I visited Saint John the Baptist Parish during my first Journey to Justice tour, I pledged to the community that EPA would take strong action to protect the health and safety of families from harmful chloroprene pollution from the Denka facility, said EPA Administrator Michael S. Regan. Mallett earned her bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and her law degree from Loyola . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); A nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.
Unauthorized or improper use of this information system is prohibited and may subject you to disciplinary action, as well as civil and criminal penalties. The action raises the stakes in a longstanding conflict between the Louisiana plant, nearby residents and the Environmental Protection Agency. So far, approximately 4,000 have responded to claim their refunds. A locked padlock
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Over the six years we have been fighting this fight we havent had anything as great as this to happen in terms of getting concrete action on emissions., Speaking to the Guardian, Taylor added: The state government has totally ignored us marches on the capitol, rallying they wouldnt even give us an audience. Neoprene is a synthetic rubber found in products such as wetsuits and adhesives. ContractforProfessionalLegalServicesTemplate.pdf, GuidetoLAJPCourts2ndEdition9.28.2021forweb.pdf, AmendedOpenMeetingsGuidanceinlightofCOVID-19andtherecentpassageofR.S.4217.1.pdf. The company added that it "remains committed to identifying and implementing additional emission reductions where possible.". In its statement, Denka said it strongly disagrees with the federal government's decision to file a legal complaint and with the EPA's assessment of the health risks the plant's emissions pose to the surrounding community. This will have a tremendous impact on our struggle here, said Robert Taylor, a founder of Concerned Citizens of St John Parish. That year, the agency published data indicating that the risk of developing cancer from air pollution in the census tract closest to Denka was nearly 50 times the national average, a result of the plants chloroprene emissions. SBA Borrowers: View loan information or make a payment at the new MySBA site. The justice department complaint does not directly specify that Denka should reduce its emissions to the 0.2 micrograms lifetime exposure recommendation, but cites the guidance throughout the complaint. Elizabeth Chuck is a reporter for NBC News who focuses on health and mental health, particularly issues that affect women and children. The Monroe Regional Office will be open for walk-in customer service Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., no appointments needed. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Sign In
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Separately, the two groups sued the EPA for missing a deadline to update its regulations for neoprene manufacturing plants. Director: Millard Mul, Gaming
In a statement, associate attorney general Vanita Gupta said: The justice departments environmental justice efforts require ensuring that every community, no matter its demographics, can breathe clean air and drink clean water. Your support keeps our unbiased, nonprofit news free. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 36:703. The parish sits along the Mississippi River just north of New Orleans in the states main industrial corridor, a region commonly known as Cancer Alley., This brings us hope, said Mary Hampton, president of the local advocacy group Concerned Citizens of St. John, which was founded in 2016. An official website of the United States government. The unavoidable closure of our Monroe office deprived taxpayers in northeast Louisiana of a convenient option for in-person customer service, Secretary of Revenue Kevin Richard said. Even when Denka's facility was shut down for a month in September 2021 after Hurricane Ida, a small monitoring demonstration test by the Louisiana State University School of Public Health revealed detectable levels of chloroprene in two out of 10 air samples, according to the researchers. Accepted Payment Methods: Bank account (ACH) Debit card Continue to the Form Preview Form Cancel The move marks a significant escalation of the Biden administrations enforcement action in the Cancer Alley region, and was instantly hailed by members of the predominantly Black community around the plant as a major victory in their ongoing campaign for clean air. payment processing to be completed within 3 or 4 business days of the transaction.
Jan. 27, 202206:15. The Department of Justice is seeking to compel a chemical manufacturing plant to curb its emissions in a region where the estimated cancer risk is among the highest in the United States. Donate today tohelp keep Grists site and newsletters free.
Member Address Seat Information; Landry, Jeffrey M. "Jeff" document.getElementById( "ak_js_2" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Biden administration sued a chemical company operating in southeast Louisiana on Tuesday, compelling it to face up to the cancer risk generated by its toxic emissions, a move that activists have been demanding for years. The company has been lobbying the federal government for years, claiming the compounds peer-reviewed classification is based on outdated science. Denkas facility, owned by a Japanese company of the same name, was previously a DuPont petrochemical plant. The lawsuit contains further details of the plants recent chloroprene emissions, which fell after Denka constructed emissions offset technology after its purchase of the plant, but still remains dangerously high and in some locations 14 times over the recommended exposure limit. The information you will enter will remain private. Serves as legal advisor and legal representative to all Louisiana gaming regulatory agencies. If you have any questions call the DOJ Consolidated Debt Collection System (CDCS) Help Desk at 1-800-683-6567. U.S. District Courts Eastern District of Louisiana Middle District of Louisiana Western District of Louisiana U.S. Bankruptcy Courts Eastern District of Louisiana Middle District of Louisiana Western District of Louisiana State and Local Courts State Judiciary Judiciary - Links to Louisiana Courts Supreme Court To set up payment arrangements, please contact ODR at 225-219-2188 or 844-330-6176. Now, the DOJ has filed a complaint to compel Denka to further reduce its hazardous emissions. Denkas facility manufactures neoprene, a flexible, synthetic rubber used to produce common goods like wetsuits, beverage cozies, laptop sleeves, orthopedic braces, and automotive belts and hoses. Now, the DOJ has filed a complaint to compel Denka to further reduce its hazardous emissions. On Tuesday, Regan said in a statement that the company had not moved far enough or fast enough on those requests. The complaint also names DuPont Specialty Products USA LLC the owner of the land beneath Denkas facility and Denkas landlord. The Louisiana Department of Natural Resources' SONRIS (Strategic Online Natural Resources Information System) tool provides data access (e.g., oil and gas information, coastal information), document access (e.g., Office of Conservation oil/gas production cards and field orders, Office of Mineral Resources lease records), GIS access (e.g . to LDR on weekends or holidays, your payment will be processed on the following business day. For those folks who prefer to take advantage of current technology, this is a quick, convenient, and secure
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