Residents respond to Denka chemical plant suspending operations in St. John the Baptist Parish
ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. (WGNO) — Many residents in the River Parishes are celebrating the news, Denka Chemical Plant is suspending services, citing rising costs, staffing and declining production volumes.
'We just have to be vigilant and be prepared to defend our lives against the atrocities that these people commit against us here in the Black community,' said St. John the Baptist Parish resident and Executive Director of the Concerned Citizens of St. John, Robert Taylor.
St. John the Baptist Parish Denka location to suspend operations citing several factors
Taylor says the production facilities along the river have changed the community. He references an Environmental Protection Agency visit back in 2016, where they explained how the chemicals can affect a person's health.
'They are dying from cancer. The respiratory illnesses that the government has shown us from their research are caused by their exposure to these chemicals. The disgust we felt, we found out about what those plants were doing to us,' said Taylor.
Denka cites a $109 million loss due to inflation, but some residents think there's more to it.
'The EPA under the Biden Administration said that they have to reduce the chloroprene emissions because chloroprene is a known carcinogenic chemical. It's a win for the residents who live in the fence line of Denka,' said Shamell Lavigne with RISE ST. JAMES.
The plant was originally operated by DuPont and was taken over by Denka in 2014.
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At the time, local and state officials hailed it as a great economic boost for the state. However, neighbors take issue with that and are calling out Parish President Jaclyn Hotard.
'It's an insult to the residents, to her constituents that live in Saint John the Baptist Parish who live within the fence line of Denka and, you know, $2 million is a drop in the bucket in revenue to the revenue that Denka has earned over the years while polluting the residents there,' said Lavigne.
The Denka closure doesn't necessarily mean the plant will never reopen under new ownership. Residents say everyone involved now has a better understanding of the community's needs.
WGNO reached out to Hotard for comment on Denka suspending operations but has not heard back.Residents respond to Denka chemical plant suspending operations in St. John the Baptist Parish
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