en.Wedoany.com Reported - The "Good Neighbor Louisiana" coalition submitted a list of demands to Hyundai regarding its proposed $5.8 billion steel mill in Donaldsonville, along with comments filed with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ), pointing out that the company has failed to establish protective measures against toxic dust generated during transportation and construction. Coalition representatives include members from the United Steelworkers (District 13), the NAACP (Louisiana State Conference), the Sierra Club Delta Chapter, and the Sunrise Community Group. During the visit, the delegation engaged with Hyundai staff, delivered paper documents, and confirmed receipt.
Dr. Angelle Bradford-Rosenberg, Chair of the Sierra Club Delta Chapter, pointed out that Hyundai's own analysis acknowledges the proposed plant is located in one of the top 4% most polluted communities in the nation, and that the project will receive $2.4 billion in public subsidies. However, unless Hyundai uses clean technology and covers material piles and trucks, surrounding communities will face increased rates of asthma, cancer, and chronic illnesses. Yolanda Martin-Singleton of the NAACP Louisiana State Conference stated that Hyundai has refused to engage in face-to-face communication with communities adjacent to the steel mill project, which are predominantly Black, with many families having lived there for generations, and who have clearly expressed they do not want to be relocated but cannot get assurances about whether they can stay or must leave. United Steelworkers organizer Jacob Horwitz said the coalition is calling for negotiations on a community benefits agreement to ensure the jobs created by the steel mill are safe, family-sustaining, and accessible to residents of the nearest communities. Glenn Price, President of the Sunrise Community Group in Donaldsonville, believes Hyundai still has many things undisclosed or not put in writing, and if they want to be a neighbor, they need to negotiate and assume basic responsibilities.
The Sierra Club's comments, submitted to LDEQ and hand-delivered to Hyundai, note that the company's permit application does not quantify or assess control measures for truck-generated fugitive dust and other toxic dust. Failure to enclose and cover will result in toxic dust blowing into the lungs of workers and neighbors, causing serious health impacts. Fine particulate matter in the dust can cause asthma and lung cancer, while slag and cement dust contain toxins that damage the nervous system and cause irreversible lung scarring. The Sierra Club has previously submitted three sets of comments warning of problems with Hyundai's air permit application, which LDEQ has agreed to expedite. The Club is requesting that LDEQ allow a reasonable public comment period after issuing the draft permit and is demanding a public hearing and informational meeting.
The Sierra Club's previous comments on the permit application included an analysis showing that if Hyundai used electricity instead of pollution-intensive methane gas in the steel mill's finishing operations, it could save up to $2.7 million per month in operating costs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 39.5%, smog-forming nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 33.38%, and volatile organic compounds by 25.2%. Using green hydrogen in the iron reduction process could further reduce greenhouse gases and combustion emissions.
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