EPA suit against high-profile chemical plant delayed

By Sean Reilly | 07/19/2024 04:26 PM EDT

A judge froze proceedings against Denka Performance Elastomer, which releases tons of chloroprene, deemed a likely carcinogen.

The Denka Performance Elastomer plant sits at sunset.

The Denka Performance Elastomer plant sits at sunset in Reserve, Louisiana, on Sept. 23, 2022. The plant is in an industrial corridor known as "Cancer Alley." Gerlad Herbert/AP

This story was updated July 21.

More than a year after EPA brought suit against a Louisiana chemical company on the grounds that it posed an ”imminent” public health danger, the litigation will languish unresolved for at least a few more months.

Following a Wednesday status conference, Senior U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier of the Eastern District of Louisiana froze proceedings in the suit against Denka Performance Elastomer until Oct. 15.

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As the Biden administration touts its commitment to reducing pollution’s disproportionate burden on people of color and low-income communities around the country, the latest delay underscores the slow pace of enforcement action against just one plant.

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