The EPA has objected to Nucor's permits in response to petitions filed by Zen-Noh Grain Corporation, a company that owns a grain elevator next to the new plant site and who is concerned the air pollutants from the plant could harm the elevator's workers and contaminate the grain. Louisiana Environmental Action Network and Sierra Club also petitioned EPA to object to Nucor's permits but EPA will not address the issues raised in these petitions until LDEQ has resolved EPA's present objections.
This morning (March 22, 2012), Just a little over one month after the EPA announced new rules on regulating pollution from plants producing polyvinyl chloride, an explosion, chemical release, and fire was reported at Westlake Chemical's Geismar Vinyls Complex near Geismar, LA in Ascension Parish.
"Incidents like this one highlight why LEAN has worked hard for 26 years to demand that the industrial facilities in Louisiana be held to the strictest environmental and safety standards possible," said Marylee Orr, Executive Director of Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN), "Our experiences have shown us that fair but stringent and consistent oversight and regulation is necessary to reduce the number of these kinds of incidents as well as 'everyday' emissions. It is not too much to ask that the health and safety of our communities be protected."
While the fire is reported to be under control, residents are concerned about the possibility of exposure to the chemicals released during the incident. Residents are also concerned by any ongoing releases that may have resulted from the explosion and fire.
Jean Kelly, spokesperson for the Department of Environmental Quality said, "the plant was releasing vinyl chloride monomer, hydrochloric acid, chlorine and hydrochloric acid solution," in an interview with the Times-Picayune.
The Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone along the Louisiana coast, commonly called the "Dead Zone" has been a well documented problem for decades now. However, the state and federal environmental agencies have failed to take even the most basic regulatory steps to address this problem. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has finally proposed to add these waters to the official list of impaired waters.
The Relationship between the environment and the economy is positive, that is, improving the environment also improves the economy. States with good environments have better economies than those with polluted environments. For example, between 1988 and 1992 the pollution levels in Louisiana were cut in half because industry spent money to reduce its pollution and, at the same time, 25,000 jobs were created in the manufacturing sector alone. The industry spending was for equipment, so local business did better, and workers were hired to operate the equipment.People and business want to locate in clean environments and not in polluted areas. Once here people start new businesses and expand existing ones. By investing in protecting the environment we are investing in the economy and ultimately in the people of Louisiana
-Paul Templet
Former Secretary of LDEQ
Today the Environmental Protection Agency announced they issued Mercury and Air Toxics Standards(MATS) for Power Plants. The Standards cover air emissions of Mercury, Arsenic, Nickel, Selenium, Cyanide and Acid Gases from Power Plants.
On December 9, 2011, the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of the Inspector General issues a report entitled EPA Must Improve Oversight of State Enforcement.
According to an article in the December 12th issue of The Times-Picayune
Louisiana is among the worst states at enforcing federal clean air, clean water and hazardous waste laws, and the Environmental Protection Agency should either force Louisiana and fellow laggards to do a better job, or enforce the laws itself, according to a report released Monday by EPA's inspector general.
...“It is an outrage that Louisiana is at the bottom of the list for enforcement even though we are one of the most industrialized states in the nation,” said LEAN Executive Director MaryLee Orr. “This report reinforces what we have been observing over time. We have been aware over the last decade that the chemical and oil and gas industry seems to have a constant presence and influence over decisions that are made by the staff at LDEQ.”
You can read the full article by Pulitzer Prizing winning writer Mark Schleifstein over at NOLA.com
The latest "Watch Lists" available from the EPA are for September and October 2011. In September and October 2001, Louisiana had a total of 51 facilities on the Environmental Protection Agency "Watch List" for violations of the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act and Resource Conservation and Recovery (hazardous materials) Act.
As you may have heard the Temple-Inland Inc. paper mill in Bogalusa, LA discharged chemical laden effluent into the Pearl River late last week resulting in a fish kill.
..."It took only a minute or two to begin to see the carnage. At first it was a few fish here and there hung up near the bank of Pearl River but once we got into Porters Bayou it quickly became clogged by large rafts of dead fish and clams. There were every kind of fish that you would expect to find. Channel catfish, flathead catfish, blue catfish, freshwater drum, buffalo fish, American eel and a variety of shad and bream were the easiest to recognize and made up the bulk of the dead fish we saw. There was also a really astounding number of dead clams, many large baseball to softball size clams and smaller clams as well. The other creatures that we saw dead in large numbers were the the larval forms of the dragonfly and the mayfly.
