"Concerns raised over financial burdens on petrochemical companies".
"The latest effort to create a public warning system for spikes in air pollution was snuffed out by a Senate committee.
Senate Bill 35 would have required each of the more than 450 petrochemical plants in Louisiana to install monitors that alert nearby communities when air pollution reaches unsafe levels. The bill cleared the Senate Environmental Quality Committee last month but was blocked in the Senate Finance Committee by its chairman, Sen. Mack “Bodi” White, on Monday.
White, a Republican from Baton Rouge, said the costs of installing and operating the monitors are likely too much for the petrochemical industry to bear. According to a state Department of Environmental Quality estimate, the monitors would cost an average of $18,000 during the first year. That might cause some plants to pull up stakes and move to Texas, White said."
Tristan Baurick reports for the New Orleans Times-Picayune May 9, 2023.
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