For video of the press conference, click here; for audio, here or here. For a fact sheet, click here.
DONALDSONVILLE, LA – In advance of a September 1 public hearing on an air pollution permit for a proposed Hyundai steel mill in Ascension Parish, an environmental organization and local residents are raising objections to the thousands of tons of air pollution that would be released by the plant and questionable numbers used in the application.
The 1,700-acre Hyundai steel mill, proposed on the bank of the Mississippi River in the parish’s planned RiverPlex MegaPark, received a draft permit from the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) on July 31. An examination of the draft permit by the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP) found high levels of pollution and numerous flaws, including sleight of hand in regard to weather data. Information about weather, including wind speed and direction, is crucial to understanding how far pollution may travel.
“If this mega-plant is built, people living downwind will face health risks from arsenic, lead, and over 20 other air pollutants that Hyundai plans to emit, many of which are toxic in extremely small amounts,” said Dr. Kim Terrell, Research Scientist with EIP’s Center for Applied Environmental Science (CAES). “By its own numbers, Hyundai’s steel plant would release over a million tons of greenhouse gases each year, making it as climate-friendly as an oil refinery.”
In estimating impacts on local air quality for its permit application, Hyundai appears to have gamed the system by saying they would use wind data from the nearby Baton Rouge Airport, but then switching it to New Orleans International Airport, which is nearly twice as far away (48 miles vs. 25 miles) and not representative of local conditions, according to the analysis by EIP. This switch resulted in Hyundai’s estimates of pollution impact on the local community being significantly lower than reality.
If the draft permit is accepted, Hyundai would be permitted by the state to release 196 tons per year of particulate matter, 336 tons of sulfur dioxide, 824 tons per year of nitrogen oxides, 123 tons per year of volatile organic compounds, and 6,205 tons per year of carbon monoxide, according to an analysis of the proposed permit by EIP.
Residents of Modeste were joined by EIP in a press conference today to object to the permit, the flawed application, and the additional pollution, which can cause lung and heart disease and increase risk of cancer. Local residents are also concerned about potential displacement of their community and harm to the neighbors who remain. Almost 300 people live within three miles of the proposed plant, 70 percent of whom are people of color, and many face buy-outs or additional health risks from the plant. Thousands more people live in the nearby town of Donaldsonville.
“When Trump stood next to Hyundai executives last year and announced this plant, he assured them that they would not have any problems getting their permits,” said Anne Rolfes, Director of the Louisiana Bucket Brigade. “The result is a legally questionable permit that does not meet the goal of the Clean Air Act, which is to protect us from monstrosities like Hyundai. The Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality will do as it usually does and pass out permits like Mardi Gras beads.”
Courtney Harris, Program Manager with Rural Roots Louisiana, said: “The public health concerns about the steel mill’s air pollution should not be taken lightly. Our families deserve a permitting process that carefully evaluates every potential impact, because once these decisions are made, it is our community, not the corporations, that will live with the consequences.”
Although the proposed steel plant has been publicly discussed in the past as potentially using a clean fuel called “green” hydrogen, in reality Hyundai — in its permit application to the state — admits that the plant will actually be fueled with natural gas, and that “green” hydrogen is not cost-effective to replace natural gas.
LDEQ is proposing that the plant be permitted to release, among other air pollutants, 1,760 pounds per year of lead, a neurotoxin that can damage the nerves, immune system, heart and brain, with infants especially vulnerable. The plant would also release 7,580 pounds per year of hydrochloric acid, which can cause irritation of the eyes, skin, and lungs.
The Hyundai steel plant would be permitted to release 1.6 million tons of greenhouse gases annually, as much as 348,000 cars and trucks driving for a year. However, this limit is based on a best-case scenario assuming largely unproven carbon sequestration technology that the company is proposing to build. So the amount of greenhouse gases released could be significantly higher.
The Hyundai plant is set to receive $2.6 billion in taxpayer subsidies from Louisiana, which breaks down to $2 million in taxpayer subsidies for each of 1,300 jobs created. Instead of sending this money to Hyundai, based in Korea, this taxpayer money could be used to improve public services and the quality of life in Louisiana, for example by building as many as 80 new public elementary schools, according to EIP’s analysis.
The state has no mechanism to guarantee that these jobs will be created or that they will go to local residents. When Nucor Steel Louisiana built a steel mill in nearby St. James Parish in 2011-2014, the company promised a similar number of jobs, but only created 270, according to a government report.
A public hearing on the pollution control permit for the plant will be held at 6 pm on Tuesday, September 1, at the Lemann Memorial Center Gymnasium, 1100 Clay St., Donaldsonville, LA. Comments on the permit can also be submitted online via this link by September 2.
For a fact sheet examining the impacts of the Hyundai plant, click here.
The Environmental Integrity Project is America’s environmental watchdog. We are a nonprofit organization dedicated to holding polluters and governments accountable to protect public health and the environment.
Founded in 2000, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade is a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a healthy, pollution-free future for Louisiana, prioritizing the wellbeing of communities over petrochemical expansion.
At Rural Roots Louisiana, we believe in the strength of local communities and in our youth. Our mission is to empower residents through sustainable initiatives that promote growth and resilience. We emphasize youth engagement, empowering our kids through advocacy and initiatives that promote leadership.
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Media contacts:
Tom Pelton, Environmental Integrity Project (443) 510-2574 or tpelton@environmentalintegrity.org
Anne Rolfes, Louisiana Bucket Brigade (504) 452-4909 or anne@labucketbrigade.org
