"Construction on an enormous $9.4 billion plastics plant proposed in St. James Parish must be delayed so the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can do a more extensive and lengthy review of the facility's impacts on the environment and nearby minority communities, a top Army official said Wednesday.
Jaime A. Pinkham, acting assistant secretary of the Army for civil works, said the new review of the Formosa Plastics complex would have a particular focus on any environmental justice concerns. The proposed plant would be located near the largely African American community of Welcome on the parish's west bank.
In a two-page memo, Pinkham didn't offer many details for the reasons behind the decision. But the Corps of Engineers already acknowledged to a federal judge late last year that an earlier, less intensive review for the permit had errors in part of its analysis.
At the time, the Corps had suspended that original, flawed permit, which would allow Formosa to fill in wetlands on the more than 2,300-acre site along the Mississippi River."
David J. Mitchell reports for the Baton Rouge Advocate August 18, 2021.
SEE ALSO:
"Army Corps To Assess Environmental, Health Impacts Of Contentious Formosa Plastic Plant" (WWNO)
"Army: Full Environmental Review Of $9.4B Plastics Complex" (AP)
Advertisement 
