But air monitors that the EPA set up around the facility continued to pick up concerning levels of the chemical. On Tuesday, Regan said in a statement that the company had not moved far enough or fast enough on those requests. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS WASHINGTON Federal officials sued a Louisiana chemical maker on Tuesday, alleging that it presents an unacceptable cancer risk to the nearby majority-Black community and demanding . Note: This system may contain Sensitive But Unclassified (SBU) data that requires specific data privacy handling. St. Charles Parish Waterworks Water Bill Redirecting to account lookup page. 36:703. Emissions reductions at Denka has been one of our top priorities at LDEQ, and EPAis nowbuilding on the steps LDEQ took five years ago and our continuing efforts to reduce chloroprene emissions from the Denka facility, said LDEQ Secretary Dr. Chuck Carr Brown. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. 0:00 / 3:50. Japanese company Denka, along with US chemicals giant DuPont, have operated the plant that produces cancer-causing chloroprene. Please use this form to make your Dept of Justice Civil Debt payments only. The Fifth Ward elementary school and residential neighborhoods sit near the Denka plant, back left, in Reserve, Louisiana. What should I do if I believe I have paid this debt? The facility is the only site in the US to emit the compound, which is a primary constituent of the synthetic rubber neoprene. In the event that your payment takes over 6 days to post to your LDR account, please feel free to call our taxpayer services department for additional Box 94005 Baton Rouge, LA 70804 (800) 423-2129 Terms of Use / Privacy Policy Powered By (888) 617-1811 | help@paystar.co PayStar Terms of Use Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Kindly keep in mind that although your credit card transaction will post to your credit card statement upon payment, this processing, like other electronic Separately, the two groups sued the EPA for missing a deadline to update its regulations for neoprene manufacturing plants. LaPlace is in the majority-Black St. John the Baptist Parish,about 30 miles outside of New Orleans. Approximately 1,200 children who attend East St. John High School, located roughly a mile-and-a-half north of Denka, are also exposed to the facilitys chloroprene emissions. If you have any questions call the DOJ Consolidated Debt Collection System (CDCS) Help Desk at 1-800-683-6567. Chloroprene is a liquid raw material used to produce neoprene and is emitted into the air from various areas at the facility. For ACH transactions, a state charge of $2.00 will be added to your invoice in accordance with Louisiana Revised Statute 49:316.1. On Feb. 28, 2023, the Department of Justice and Environmental Protection Agency filed a lawsuit against the . Neoprene is a synthetic rubber found in products such as wetsuits and adhesives. EPA administrator Michael Regan said in a statement that he had promised strong action for community members during a site visit to Reserve in November 2021. The air samples were taken at or across the street from a nearby elementary school. Over the years, Denka has committed to taking steps to reduce the plant's emissions. Twitter, Follow us on WELCOMEto the United States Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The Denka Performance Elastomer plant in LaPlace, Louisiana, along the Mississippi River, is the only facility in the U.S. that produces chloroprene, a chemical used in the production of neoprene. method of making certain that your payments are received and posted correctly and on-time. Employers / Post Job. A locked padlock Pay.gov is a program of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Our mission is to protect and serve all residents of Southeast Louisiana through enforcement of the laws of the United States. This makes me feel like we have something to look forward to, not five or 10 years from now we need it to happen now.. Chief Deputy Attorney General: Bill Stiles, Communications To support our nonprofit environmental journalism, please consider disabling your ad-blocker to allow ads on Grist. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. Moreover, our priorities go beyond prosecuting criminals and litigating cases, as we serve our community through a variety ofoutreach programs, community resources, and victim-witness services. Now, the DOJ has filed a complaint to compel Denka to further reduce its hazardous emissions. Individuals with relevant information are encouraged to contact the Justice Department by phone at 1-833-492-0097, or by email at community.louisianadoc@usdoj.gov. He not only waived any right to appeal, probation, or parole. The Civil Division represents the State of Louisiana, its departments and agencies, boards and commissions, and statewide elected officials. The only newsroom focused on exploring solutions at the intersection of climate and justice. The company has not moved far enough or fast enough to reduce emissions or ensure the safety of the surrounding community. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The Civil Division issues written legal opinions to the governor, the state auditor, the state treasurer, state boards, agencies and commissions, the district attorneys of the state, and parish and municipal governing authorities. Here's How, When I visited Saint John the Baptist Parish during my first Journey to Justice tour, I pledged to the community that EPA would take strong action to protect the health and safety of families from harmful chloroprene pollution from the Denka facility, Regan said. These payments must be made to your U. S. District Court Clerks Office. The Louisiana Department of Revenue recently began a cooperative project with all other state agencies that provides for suspension and revocation of Please review our privacy policy Sign In After the visit, Regan sent a letter to Denka urging executives to take steps to reduce the threat to those living in the surrounding towns of Laplace and Reserve. For those folks who prefer to take advantage of current technology, this is a quick, convenient, and secure In August, LDR sent Notice of Unclaimed Property letters to 20,400 individual and business taxpayers. 1999-2023 Grist Magazine, Inc. All rights reserved. Provides legal services to the statein the areas of consumer protection and environmental law, insurance receivership, and fair housing. The company added that it "remains committed to identifying and implementing additional emission reductions where possible.". According to the complaint, filed today in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, air monitoring conducted by both the EPA and Denka over the past several years consistently shows long-term chloroprene concentrations in the air near Denkas LaPlace facility that are as high as 14 times the levels recommended for a 70-year lifetime of exposure. You may also email request to: ODRPaymentPlan@LA.Gov Be sure to include Name, Debtor # and a Call Back Number. Its litigation reflects the diversity of government activities, involving, for example, the defense of challenges to state programs, actions and laws; debt collection owed to the state; and protection of the state's natural resources, lands and water . The Justice Departments complaint was made under Section 303 of the Clean Air Act, which provides the EPA with the authority to address conditions that present an imminent and substantial endangerment to the publics health. Once taxpayer obligations are The parish sits along the Mississippi River just north of New Orleans in the states main industrial corridor, a region commonly known as Cancer Alley., This brings us hope, said Mary Hampton, president of the local advocacy group Concerned Citizens of St. John, which was founded in 2016. State of Louisiana Department of Justice c/o Constituent Services P. O. Louisiana File Online allows taxpayers to: Taxpayers may also submit their returns using commercially available tax preparation software, or with printed state returns available at www.revenue.louisiana.gov/Forms. We need action now for our children and want this to be put in place immediately.. Last January, the environmental watchdog Earthjustice, on behalf of the local advocacy group Concerned Citizens of St. John and the Sierra Club, filed a civil rights complaint with the EPA against Louisianas health department and environmental agency for subjecting Black residents of St. John to disproportionate air pollution from numerous industrial facilities, including Denka. St. Charles Parish Waterworks 301 Third Street Luling, LA 70070 985-783-5110 http://stcharlesparish-la.gov/ Need Help Paying? That year, the agency published data indicating that the risk of developing cancer from air pollution in the census tract closest to Denka was nearly 50 times the national average, a result of the plants chloroprene emissions. Administrative Services Coordinates the departments budget, legislative affairs, and department planning and performance. WASHINGTON Today, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and in coordination with the U.S. Attorneys Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint under Section 303 of the Clean Air Act against Denka Performance Elastomer LLC (Denka) to compel Denka to significantly reduce hazardous chloroprene emissions from its neoprene manufacturing facility in LaPlace, Louisiana. Should you choose this option, you can expect EPA is finally treating this health crisis for what it isan emergency. What remains to be seen, she told Grist in an email, is how much and how fast it will be enforced. Instagram, Follow us on WASHINGTON - Today, on behalf of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and in coordination with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a complaint under Section 303 of the Clean Air Act against Denka Performance Elastomer LLC (Denka) to compel Denka to significantly reduce hazardous chloroprene emissions from its . Louisiana Department of Justice 176 followers 3w Today, Dennis Perkins admitted to his despicable crimes and pled guilty in court. have been levied for prior non payment. The move marks a significant escalation of the Biden administrations enforcement action in the Cancer Alley region, and was instantly hailed by members of the predominantly Black community around the plant as a major victory in their ongoing campaign for clean air. The unavoidable closure of our Monroe office deprived taxpayers in northeast Louisiana of a convenient option for in-person customer service, Secretary of Revenue Kevin Richard said. The suit claims that emissions remain so high that a child breathing air near certain monitors around the facilitys fence line would exceed their lifetime excess cancer risk within two years. DuPont did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If you have any questions regarding TEFRAs, Contracts, or Resolutions - you may contact Michelle Boutte at bouttem@ag.louisiana.gov or Monica Reed at reedm@ag.louisiana.gov. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. The US justice department has sued the two petrochemical giants behind a facility in Louisiana's "Cancer Alley" responsible for the highest cancer risk rates caused by air pollution in the . Contact: dcfs.louisiana.gov 627 N. Fourth St. Baton Rouge, LA 70802 225.524.3578 About the Agency. Powered by Paystar. Louisianas Department of Environmental Quality reached an agreement with Denka requiring the company to install pollution controls in 2017. Grist is powered by WordPress VIP. Facebook, Follow us on Children under the age of 16 are particularly vulnerable to mutagenic carcinogens like chloroprene. 0:10. Heres why a California beach town just banned balloons, This is absurd: Train cars that derailed in Ohio were labeled non-hazardous, Why North Dakota is preparing to sue Minnesota over clean energy, Study: Extreme heat is driving deaths in US prisons, In a growing petrochemical hub, the East Palestine derailment triggers an uneasy feeling, One year in, the toxic legacy of war in Ukraine comes into view. BATON ROUGE Thousands of Louisiana taxpayers have until Thursday, Oct. 6 to claim millions of dollars in state income tax refunds before the Louisiana Department of Revenue (LDR) transfers them to the states Unclaimed Property fund. Please click here to see any active alerts. Twitter, Follow us on The lawsuit contains further details of the plants recent chloroprene emissions, which fell after Denka constructed emissions offset technology after its purchase of the plant, but still remains dangerously high and in some locations 14 times over the recommended exposure limit. For returns submitted electronically, taxpayers due refunds can expect them within 45 days of the filing date. U.S. District Courts Eastern District of Louisiana Middle District of Louisiana Western District of Louisiana U.S. Bankruptcy Courts Eastern District of Louisiana Middle District of Louisiana Western District of Louisiana State and Local Courts State Judiciary Judiciary - Links to Louisiana Courts Supreme Court Director: Joe Picone More PayStar Payment Portal PayStar Payment Portal 95 Louisiana Attorney General Louisiana Attorney General Educational Other Debt Revenue State Agency Cancel P.O. 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