Media Contact:
Rebekah Staub, Earthworks, rstaub@earthworksaction.org
Gary Watson, RISE St. James Louisiana, gary@garywatsonllc.com
ASCENSION PARISH, Louis. — A proposed blue hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon capture project in Ascension Parish could move forward without having public hearings for two pollution permits, alarming residents and local advocates who say the process undermines community engagement and environmental justice.
Within a week of each other, the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources and the New Orleans District of the Army Corps of Engineers issued public notices announcing that Air Products applied for a Coastal Use Permit and a Clean Water Act permit, respectively, for its proposed Louisiana “Clean” Energy Complex. The notices open a 30-day public comment period, but no public hearings have been scheduled and must be requested.
“Thirty days isn’t nearly enough time to weigh in on a project that could harm our children’s health for a lifetime,” said Kaitlyn Joshua, Gonzales resident and Louisiana Gulf Coast Campaigner at Earthworks. “Decision makers need to meet face-to-face with the people who stand to gain the least from this project. We will not let this move forward without local oversight and accountability.”
Despite this restrictive process, over the past month, an unlikely coalition of local residents, fishermen, environmental advocates, scientists, and elected officials have come together to make their demands clear to the permitting agencies. To date, groups have generated hundreds of comments, requesting in-person public hearings, an extended public comment period, and a comprehensive review of the project’s environmental impacts.
Air Products, a global gas and chemical corporation, plans to capture carbon dioxide waste from its ammonia plant in Burnside/Sorrento, Louisiana, which would then be compressed and transported 38 miles through a new pipeline. The pipeline would run very close to Sorrento Primary School and neighboring subdivisions, through the protected Maurepas Swamp Wildlife Management Area, near communities in St. James and St. John Parishes, and then to a sprawling carbon sequestration system with a network of additional pipelines and 19 platforms spread throughout Lake Maurepas.
Robert Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Concerned Citizens of St John spoke to the lack of input given to communities affected by industrial pollution. “Communities like ours in St. John are tired of being left out of decisions that affect our health and environment. Air Products could potentially move forward without public hearings, even though this project puts our wetlands, our homes, and our children at risk. We’re asking the state to do the right thing and respect our communities.”
The project’s proposed carbon dioxide pipeline will destroy over 225 acres of pristine forested wetlands as well as disrupt and damage the Lake Maurepas ecosystem, which is vital to the local fishing and recreation economy. Lake Maurepas is currently undergoing a more than $300 million diversion project, the River Reintroduction into the Maurepas Swamp, designed to restore and sustain the natural hydrology of one of the largest remaining forested wetlands along the Gulf Coast, for which the Army Corps is a partner.
“Once again, the Corps of Engineers and the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources are trying to railroad an environmentally damaging project through the permitting process,” said Darryl Malek-Wiley, Senior Field Representative for the Sierra Club about the dangers of this project and the need for environmental review. “The damage to the natural environment is significant, and it requires a comprehensive Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to fully understand the proposed project’s impact. The proposed project will set back efforts to restore Lake Marepaus and the Marepaus Swamp ecosystem.”
Air Products recently announced they are planning to sell off major components of their project, including the ammonia facility, marine terminal, carbon dioxide pipeline, and sequestration components. Air Products only plans to keep the blue hydrogen manufacturing facility. Despite this, the company is still pursuing a Clean Water Act permit and a Louisiana Coastal Use Permit for the entire project, including the parts they plan to sell off.
“The proposed project will have far reaching implications for the wildlife in the Maurepas Swamp Area as well as the communities in close proximity to the pipeline,” said Shamell Lavigne, Chief Operating Officer of RISE St. James Louisiana. “We must protect our natural environment and residents.”
Though the deadline for comments on the Clean Water Act permits close as of July 30th, residents can still submit comments and requests for public hearing through Aug. 1st for the Louisiana Coastal Use Permit. Comments can be submitted online at www.earthworks.org/ccs.
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