"A German company has agreed to substantially reduce air pollutants from a chemical plant near LaPlace, according to a settlement reached this week with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

The Evonik Corporation, which operates an alkoxylated alcohols production facility in the St. John the Baptist Parish community of Reserve, will reduce emissions of ethylene oxide and other pollutants by 5.6 tons per year. Air monitoring and enforcement efforts by the EPA and the state Department of Environmental Quality (LDEQ) last April indicated that Evonik repeatedly violated air pollution rules.

An airplane and mobile monitoring vehicle collected emissions data in Reserve’s neighborhoods and unannounced inspections at the plant confirmed elevated emissions of ethylene oxide, a chemical the EPA says is a proven carcinogen to humans."

Tristan Baurick reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune April 24, 2023. [2]