A Louisiana state agency is planning a public hearing next month on a proposal to build a new chemical facility next to an existing chemical complex in St. Charles Parish.

On Sept. 6, 2024, Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) proposed an initial air construction and operating permit for the UBE Chemical Manufacturing Complex. If built, the plant would make chemicals used to manufacture batteries and semiconductors. 

According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the UBE facility would be built on industrial property owned by Cornerstone Chemicals, which operates a chemical facility on the west bank of the Mississippi River about two miles south of the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Some nearby residents are upset about Cornerstone’s plans to expand its industrial zoning into buffer zones around the complex, bringing the industrial zoning within 10 feet of some residences, the newspaper reported.

A public hearing will be held at the J.C. Simmons Community Center at 4008 U.S. Highway 90, Avondale, Louisiana, at 6 p.m. Central time on Oct. 10, 2024. LDEQ is accepting comments on the draft permit and requests for public hearings until 4:30 p.m. Central time on Oct. 11, 2024. See the public notice for more information.

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