Mitsubishi this week announced it would abandon plans to build the largest chemical facility of its kind in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, about 30 minutes south of Baton Rouge.

A division of the Japanese industrial conglomerate had planned the facility to produce up to 350,000 tons per year of methyl methacrylate, a chemical used in a variety of consumer and medical products – including automotive rear lights, signs, lighting, flat screen TVs, dental products, and acrylic paints.

On Jan. 7, the company announced the decision based a failure to obtain long-term commitments from potential buyers and the prospect of meeting demand for the chemical from other manufacturing sites, including one near Memphis, Tennessee.

The company had sought to receive an 80-percent reduction in local government and school district property taxes in Ascension Parish. The tax breaks could have added up to $168 million over 10 years.

According to permit information, the facility would have emitted hundreds of tons per year of air pollution, including 526 tons of carbon monoxide, 129 tons of nitrogen oxides, 79 tons of volatile organic compounds, 39 tons of fine particles, and nearly 2 tons of sulfur dioxide.

The company’s plans faced opposition from local groups such as Rural Roots Louisiana and the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, who spoke out against the additional air pollution in an area already home to dozens of plants with massive emissions. A statement from Beyond Petrochemicals called the announcement “a major victory for the health and safety of Louisianans.”