On Sept. 5, 2024, ExxonMobil applied for tax breaks under Louisiana’s Industrial Tax Exemption Program to build a new processing plant for used plastics at its more than 100-year-old oil refinery complex in Baton Rouge.

The proposal involves adding new machinery and truck unloading facilities to store and break down used plastic into raw ingredients, to be reformed into “new light weight durable plastics,” the company’s application states (see project ID number 20240376-ITE on this page). The company is also seeking subsidies for adding new distillation units to produce ultra-pure isopropyl alcohol, used in the production of semiconductor chips.

ExxonMobil estimates the projects will cost more than $120 million combined but would not add any new jobs. If approved, it could qualify for millions of dollars in tax subsidies.