The Formosa Plastics Corporation announced on July 25 that they would expand polyvinyl chloride (PVC) production capacity at their Baton Rouge Plastics Plant in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana.

This is the third expansion of PVC production at the Baton Rouge Plastics Plant, with the most recent increasing daily production capacity by 530 tons and adding 15 tons of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) to the atmosphere each year. The size of this latest expansion has not yet been announced.

Vinyl chloride, an ingredient of PVC, was the chemical responsible for the explosion after a train transporting it derailed outside of East Palestine, Ohio, in early 2023. The accident caused several railcars to burn for more than two days and residents within one mile had to be evacuated.