Last fall, a Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality air permit hearing about a proposed ammonia plant in Ascension Parish displayed deep divisions between officials and business leaders who supported the proposal and local residents and environmental groups who opposed it.
The $8 billion project plans to capture carbon dioxide and transport it to Lake Maurepas, injecting it deep beneath that body of water.
Officials, including Ascension Fire District 1 Chief James LeBlanc and state Rep. Tony Bacala, R-Prairieville, publicly supported the proposal, saying it would bring jobs and a boost to the local economy. Some opponents have expressed health and safety concerns about the facility, which would be located close to Sorrento Primary School. Others worry about the Lake Maurepas environment.
James LeBlanc addresses a packed house during a public hearing held by the Louisiana DEQ regarding a proposed Air Products facility, Thursday, October 3, 2024, in Sorrento, La.
LDEQ has yet to approve the permit. Letters submitted to the agency about the permit show the public divide continued in private. Dozens of written comments demonstrate industry leaders and officials supporting it, with residents living near the proposed plant opposed.
Modified timeline and help with red dirt cleanup
Last week, the company’s new CEO said the facility’s production date was delayed to 2028 or 2029, adding that the company planned to sell the facility's carbon capture and ammonia portions.
In an email to The Advocate on Thursday, Air Products spokesperson Christina Stephens said the company is still moving forward with engineering, permitting and work under existing contracts.
“We are also in ongoing discussions with potential outside investors and offtakers for the project,” she said. “… Construction activities at the site are providing the soil we’re donating to help with LDEQ’s solution at the former L’Alumina facility.”
Red mud dust leaves the LAlumina waste pile on April 7, 2022, during a northwest wind, as photographed by a state Department of Environmental Quality inspector responding to complaints.Â
For years, red dust from the site of the former L’Alumina plant has blown into the neighboring Pelican Point subdivision. Under the recent agreement, Air Products will donate surplus construction soil for the environmental cleanup project at the site.
The company donated more than $4.4 million to community initiatives in 2023 and 2024. It awarded $50,000 to Livingston Parish last fall to rebuild the Maurepas School greenhouse, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ida. In Ascension Parish, $280,000 has gone to the River Parishes Community College Foundation and $120,000 to the Ascension Parks Foundation.
Officials wrote support letters
Three elected officials who didn’t speak at the hearing wrote in favor of it, with some referencing community engagement like the L’Alumina project.
Ascension Parish President Clint Cointment, council member Oliver Joseph and Sheriff Bobby Webre all wrote letters of support. Cointment pointed to the 170 permanent jobs and the company’s contributions, saying the project “will bring important benefits to our community.”
A few local residents expressed support, with a Geismar man stating he wanted his grandchildren to stay within the area and have similar job opportunities he had.
Leaders and employees of construction businesses and industry groups across the area also wrote, with notes from the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association, Lake Area Industry Alliance and Greater Baton Rouge Industry Alliance.
A project manager at the Baton Rouge-based GROUP Contractors sent a support email that included bullet-point statements labeled as “Third Party/Contractor Talking Points,” which listed facts and phrases used in other support letters.
“(We believe/I believe) the company has gone above and beyond regulatory requirements when it comes to addressing community concerns and gathering support,” it stated in one bullet point.
Asked if the company or affiliates sent out talking points to businesses and officials, Stephens said, “Individual groups and contractors, they submitted the comments they want to submit.”
Some residents oppose project
While industry affiliates expressed support, environmental advocacy groups including Louisiana Bucket Brigade, Earthworks, RISE St. James, Healthy Gulf and Sierra Club wrote in opposition.
But the tension surrounding the facility was underscored most through letters written by some residents of Sorrento and the Pelican Point subdivision, which sits within 2 miles of the project.
A Pelican Point resident said she supported new jobs and revenue but was “vehemently opposed” to the Air Products facility. Another criticized tax breaks given to industrial companies.
A board member of a homeowners association took no position but requested that the company work with HOAs in the area on developing emergency procedures.
Meanwhile, a teacher, a bus driver and a parent associated with the Sorrento Primary School opposed the permit. The bus driver worried about pollution, noise and traffic, while the parent said placing such a facility near the school showed “a clear disregard for the health and safety of the very people who make this community vibrant.”