The following is a statement from Louisiana Chemical Association President Greg Bowser regarding the EPA’s Announcement on Industry in Louisiana:
“We remain disappointed that U.S. EPA Administrator Michael Regan did not meet with us or with any of our industry members during his visit to Louisiana last November, despite our requests.
As I said then, if the Administrator feels there are problems with Louisiana industry and wants to assure they get solved, then he should talk with the people involved. Had he met with us, we could have dispelled the inaccurate and misleading information he’s been receiving and worked to set the record straight by providing any additional information he may need.
In early December, we followed up with a second request for the administrator to meet with the 17 plant managers on our LCA board in his Washington, DC office. We offered to meet with him in person anytime that week, but instead they offered to meet with us by Zoom in mid-February, not with Administrator Regan, but with EPA Region 6 leadership.
Our industry has a history of working cooperatively with state and federal regulators in support of the health and safety of the communities in which we operate. In the last 30 years chemical facilities operating in Louisiana have cut air emissions by 75 percent through investments in environmental innovations.
We’ve yet to have the opportunity to develop that relationship with this new administrator, but we will continue to make every effort to do so. Our 64 member companies with more than 100 sites in Louisiana supply more than 29,000 direct jobs and local investment is vital to the economic stability of our state and region. We are committed to bringing a sustainable, clean future for all Louisianians, while maintaining industry safety, growth and prosperity.”
