A petrochemical plant in Louisiana accused of increasing cancer risks for a majority Black community indefinitely suspended operations largely due to the high cost of reducing toxic pollution.
Japanese firm Denka announced Tuesday that its synthetic rubber facility hemorrhaged more than $109 million in the past year. The company cited weakening demand, staffing challenges and rising costs as reasons why “improving profitability in the near term would be difficult.”
Denka also attributed much of its financial woes to what it has described as “unfair and targeted” pollution control measures.
Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency sought to rein in dangerous chemical emis