Louisiana plant at the center of an environmental justice fight halts operations

Denka Suspends Operations - (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

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.”